ECONOMIC records indicate that China posted a 17.7 per cent rise in exports in December 2009 further overtaking Germany as the world's biggest exporter.

Todate China is one of the world's top exporters and is attracting record amounts of foreign investments.

It is said by economic observers and analysts that the Chinese economy which has been growing will be larger than that of the United States in about 20 years.

Economists studying China which was founded in 1949 after the Communist Party defeated the previously nationalist Kuomintang in a civil war reveal that a significant role for capital investment in economic growth, in new machinery, better technology, and more investment in infrastructure have helped to raise output.

And so China has become the manufacturing platform for the world, especially that the leadership in China has not been selfish to keep their secrets behind these economic successes.

Between 1986 and 1990, China's open door policy opened the country to foreign investment and encouraged development of market economy and private sector.

Over a long time, China has consistently provided African countries with assistance to the best of its capacity without any political condition. This is in an effort to help African countries get out of difficulties and to realise economic and social development.

The China-Africa friendship is rooted in the long history of interchange. Sharing similar historical experience, China and Africa have all along sympathised with and supported each other in the struggle for national liberation and forged a profound friendship.

Committed to ensuring that diplomatic relations between new China and Africa are strengthened, China made a commitment at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation ministerial conference in Beijing in 2000 to cancel debts owed to it by some African countries. It is on record that China has cancelled RMB 10.5 billion of debt of 31 least developed African countries.

At the Forum on China and Africa (FOCAC) and ministerial conference in Beijing in 2006, President Hu Jintao rolled out a package of aid and assistance measures to Africa including US$3 billion of preferential loans in three years, US$2 billion preferential export buyer's credit to African countries and the exemption of more debt owed by poor African countries.

A declaration proclaiming an establishment of a new type of strategic partnership between China and Africa whose features included political equality and mutual trust, economic win-win cooperation and cultural exchanges was adopted by leaders of China and 48 African countries at that gathering.

At the same summit, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao proposed that China and Africa should fully tap cooperation potential and strive to bring their trade volume to $100 billion by 2010.

The Chinese government decided to further help African countries set up 100 rural schools in the next three years, increase the number of Chinese government scholarships to African students from 2,000 to 4,000 per year by 2009.

It further decided to assist African countries in building 30 hospitals and provide RMB 300 million of grant for providing anti-malarial drugs to African countries and building 30 demonstration centres for prevention and treatment of malaria in the next three years.

During the fourth ministerial meeting of the FOCAC held in Egypt last year, China again committed $10 billion low cost loan to double the $5 billion announced in 2006. Another $1 billion special loan for small and medium sized African businesses was established.

Eight new policy measures aimed at strengthening relations with Africa were announced.

Zambia, being a member of this cooperation and indeed having enjoyed cordial relations with China for almost 46 years, has benefited greatly from the measures which China has put in place to help Zambia develop socially and economically.

The country will further benefit from more strategies which will be outlined during the 2012 FOCAC conference.

Apart from the historic Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority-TAZARA railway built using the Chinese money and manpower, Zambia has had a lion's share of the many measures rolled out by the Chinese government to help African countries become self reliant.

A number of visits by top Chinese leaders including President Hu Jintao to Zambia and first Republican president Kenneth Kaunda, late president Manawasa and indeed the current President Rupiah Banda to China have further increased China's commitment to the well-being of the people of Zambia.

This weekend Zambia will again be blessed with a visit by the State Councilor, Dai Bingguo, who will lead a high-powered delegation to among other tasks follow up and ensure the successful implementation of ideas and agreements between his government and Zambia during President Banda's visit and also the eigh FOCAC measures.

So far, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Kabinga Pande, China has committed about $700 million of investment in Zambia which he said is the largest so far compared to other African countries.

Commerce and industry director at the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry Siazongo Siakalenge said Zambia got a lion's share from the eight measures announced by President Hu during the 2006 FOCAC conference, saying so far Zambia has seen a lot of investments in mining, education, health manufacturing, tourism, infrastructure development, trade, agriculture among others.

"For example, China signed framework agreements on concessional loans with 20 African countries supporting 27 projects and preferential buyer's credit of $300 million has been delivered. Zambia got about $400 million from this facility earmarked for the expansion of the Kariba North power station," Mr Siakalenge explained.

He further revealed that some of the Chinese companies had benefited from the China Africa Development Fund initiated in 2007 where $400 million of investment by Chinese companies has been brought to Africa .

"Furthermore, Zambia benefited through the cancellation of $40 million at the end of 2005. Zambia has also benefited from exports of duty free and quota free to China up to 446 products," Mr Siakalenge said.

Added to all these is China 's development of economic zones in Africa from which Zambia has seen the development of Chambishi Multi Facility Economic Zone (MFEZ) and the Lusaka Sub-Zone which are on course.

These economic zones were launched by President Hu and his Zambian counterpart late president Mwanawasa.

Todate a total of 13 companies are operating at the MFEZ in Chambishi built at a cost of $300 million with an estimated investment of $900 million over a period of five years.

It is further poised to attract about 50 to 60 enterprises and lead to the creation of employment for about 6,000 Zambians over the five-year period.

Other notable investments put up by the Chinese in Zambia outlined by Mr Siakalenge include the $600 million stadium under construction in Ndola which will have a seating capacity of between 35,000 and 40,000.

"Also Zambia got a share for the construction of two secondary schools and a hospital near Chainama. The country has continued to benefit from the anti-malarial medicines containing antimisinin while a demonstration centre for agriculture has also been allocated to Zambia ," Mr Siakalenge said.

He noted that all the multi-million investments set up in Zambia were in line with the country's development agenda of being a middle income country by 2030.

And ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to Zambia and special representative of China to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, Li Qiangmin explained that every year, China supports more than 100 Zambian students to study in China.

"Zambia is one of the major beneficiaries of the Sino-Africa, as you know Zambia got the first MFEZ established in Africa," Mr Li explained.

He added that: "Since the international financial crisis last year and at the time many Western investors retreated from Zambia, especially in the mining sector, and indeed when there were economic difficulties in Zambia and many people were unemployed, Chinese investors continued to work and to re-open mines such as the one in Luanshya."

Some opposition members of Parliament like Namwala MP, Robbie Chizhyuka have lauded the good investments by China in their constituencies.

Major Chizhyuka, who is United Party for National Development-UPND said in Namwala alone, the Chinese are constructing a fourth largest girls technical school in the country at the cost of K32 billion and a basic school at the boma at the cost of K8 billion.

"Another project in my Constituency where the Chinese are working include the tarring of the Choma-Namwala Road at a cost of K167 billion, the improvement of Maala-Namusonde Road at a cost of K7 billion and indeed the Monze-Nieko Road which was done at a cost of K27 billion," Major Chizhyuka said.

"Whether we like it or not, the Zambian economy is being dependent on Chinese investment and support," he said citing the reopening of the Munali Nickel Mine by Jing Chuan Group as one such that has created jobs for Zambians.

"Of course one would say there are problems with salaries. These are matters which can be ironed out through laid down labour laws," he added.

His Luapula counterpart Peter Machungwa of the Patriotic Front (PF) explained that China was investing in all corners of the world including in countries with stronger economies than Zambia saying Zambia should grab and hold on to this opportunity to learn and benefit from the Chinese.

"Surely, China is crying to help us gain confidence in ourselves, even when they had little they helped us construct the TAZARA, now that they have grown economically, it's time we learnt from them," Dr Machungwa said.

True to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's statement at the 2009 FOCAC that a number of countries in the Comesa region have achieved significant progress in their trade exchanges with China. Zambia stands to benefit from long cordial bilateral relationship with China.

Therefore, the visit by Mr Dai to Zambia should be taken as yet another blessing to engage China into serious development talks for the benefit of all Zambians.