BEIJING, China, December 12, 2026 – China has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening cooperation with Zambia through skills development, technology transfer and practical collaboration aimed at transforming the country’s mining industry.
Speaking during the opening ceremony of the Seminar on Mining Industry Transformation and Digitalisation Development for Zambia in Beijing, Director of the Coordinating Office of the Academy for International Business Officials, Mr. Yang Shengyan, highlighted the Academy’s role in promoting international human resource development and cooperation.
Mr. Shengyan acknowledged the growing economic partnership between China and Zambia, noting that Chinese investment in Zambia had exceeded US$3.8 billion as of December 2024.
He further disclosed that bilateral trade between the two countries had reached approximately US$7.5 billion by the end of 2025.
On the mining sector, Mr. Shengyan emphasised that green mining, smart technologies and digital transformation were becoming increasingly important to the future of the global mining industry.
He said emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence in mineral exploration, smart mine development, new energy applications in mining and improved resource recovery, were key drivers of modern mining.
“Against this background, China expresses its willingness to share practical experiences with Zambia in mining development, smart mine construction and digital transformation,” Mr. Shengyan said.
Meanwhile, Zambian Group Representative Nancy Lagerstedt said the future success of Zambia’s mining sector depended not only on increasing mineral production but also on adopting modern technologies, improving mineral processing and promoting innovation to maximise value from the country’s mineral resources.
She noted that mining remained central to Zambia’s economic development, contributing significantly to investment attraction, employment creation and national revenue.
Ms. Lagerstedt said the seminar provided an important opportunity for skills and technology transfer, which would help improve operational efficiency, strengthen transparency and enhance environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards in Zambia’s mining industry.
She added that Zambia was particularly keen to learn from China’s experience in mining modernisation, industrial development and technological innovation.
The Zambian delegation comprises officials from the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development, the Minerals Regulation Commission and Smart Zambia.
The training programme is aimed at equipping the Zambian delegation with knowledge and practical insights into mining industry transformation and digitalisation, with a focus on modern technologies and innovative approaches to mining development.
