LUSAKA, Nov. 20 -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Thursday that China is ready to work with Zambia, taking the implementation of China's zero-tariff treatment for Zambia as an opportunity, to expand bilateral trade and tap cooperation potential in industrial sectors such as mining, new energy vehicles and artificial intelligence.

Li, who landed in Zambia's capital of Lusaka on Wednesday for an official visit to the African country, made the remarks during talks with Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema.

The Chinese premier first conveyed the cordial greetings and best wishes of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Hichilema. Li said that China and Zambia are good brothers, good friends and good partners.

Last year, the two countries celebrated the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties, and President Xi met with President Hichilema during the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), drawing a new blueprint for the deepening and development of bilateral relations, Li said.

The premier said China is ready to work with Zambia to further consolidate mutual political trust, firmly support each other regarding their respective core interests and major concerns, continuously enrich the substance of the China-Zambia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, join hands to advance modernization, and build an even closer China-Zambia community with a shared future so as to deliver more benefits to the two peoples.

China is willing to strengthen cooperation with Zambia in areas related to people's livelihood, such as healthcare, agriculture and human resources development, so as to enhance the two peoples' sense of gain from bilateral cooperation, Li said.

He noted that the two countries should take the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges as an opportunity to strengthen friendly interactions at all levels, deepen exchanges and cooperation in culture, education, tourism and other fields, thereby solidifying the social foundation for bilateral cooperation.

China is also ready to work with Zambia to step up cooperation in judicial, police, law-enforcement and other areas, in order to provide stronger security assurance for bilateral cooperation, Li said.

The revitalization of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway is a shared aspiration of the peoples of China, Tanzania and Zambia, he said, adding that the project is a landmark of high-quality development of Belt and Road cooperation.

The three countries should strengthen policy coordination, advance follow-up comprehensive development, and promote better development for the countries and regions along the railway, Li said.

At present, unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise, posing serious challenges to the international system and global economy, Li noted, calling on China and Zambia to strengthen multilateral coordination and cooperation, and work with the broad ranks of Global South countries to safeguard the international trade order, uphold fairness and justice, and defend their joint benefits.

Hichilema, for his part, kindly requested Li to convey his cordial greetings and best wishes to Xi, and extended warm congratulations on the successful convening of the fourth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

Noting that the time-honored and ever-strengthening friendship between Zambia and China was forged by the older generations of leaders of the two countries, Hichilema said he and President Xi have reached important consensus on deepening the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.

Zambia firmly adheres to the one-China principle and firmly supports the just cause of the Chinese people in opposing "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and striving for national reunification, stressed Hichilema.

He said Zambia is willing to work with China to carry forward the traditional friendship, intensify high-level exchanges, expand cooperation in fields such as trade, investment, minerals, agriculture, infrastructure and people-to-people and cultural exchanges, follow up on the revitalization of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway, enhance the economic development efficiency along the railway, and promote the building of a Zambia-China community with a shared future.

Hichilema said Zambia is ready to continue deepening cooperation with China within the framework of the FOCAC, and actively implement the outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing Summit.

Zambia highly appreciates the four major global initiatives proposed by Xi and is willing to strengthen multilateral coordination with China and jointly safeguard multilateralism and free trade, he added.

After the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of cooperation documents in fields including the Belt and Road cooperation, personnel exchanges, green minerals and journalism.