PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu says he is in a hurry and will not fail to develop Zambia because of falsehoods being peddled against his government. And President Lungu has said those against China’s partnership with Zambia and other African countries should keep away if they can’t work with his government.

“If people in Europe or in America want to lend us money, let them come. We will sit down and talk to them. We want to develop this country. We will not fail just because of falsehoods which are being peddled,” President Lungu said on Saturday upon inspecting Lumumba, Mungwi, Kabanana, and Ngwerere road projects.

President Lungu distributed PF chitenges to onlookers when his motorcade traversed the rehabilitated roads in Lusaka, which are part of the US$405 million L400 project.

He said the anti-China propaganda was shocking when other countries like the United States had also borrowed from China.

President Lungu said his government would continue doing business with China amidst the public outcry on the debt Zambia had contracted with that country.

He said there was room for debt renegotiation should the capacity to pay back get affected for any reason.

“In terms of borrowing, which country is not borrowing because even America has borrowed US$1.1trillion from China. Now, are we saying America is being colonialised by China? No, it’s commerce, so those who want to talk will talk but we will continue collaborating with those who are willing to work with us, on agreed terms of course,” he said.

“And if we owe money, and find it difficult to pay, we will talk to people to say ‘can you reschedule this loan?’ That is what we do even in private lives, we do that. So for me, I am not moved at all, and I think we will continue working with China, with everyone else who wants to work with us and if our capacity to pay is impaired for whatever reason, we will sit down and renegotiate. Even with banks, we renegotiate the loans, so where is the problem?”

The Head of State said he was working hard to emulate the Chinese development path.

“Why all these talks about China, China, China? China has been working with us from 1964. China gave us TAZARA, there was no problem. Now you know when I look back, we were enslaved for long time. Africa was known for slavery. They sold us…from slavery to colonialism, from colonialism now imperialism. Now when they realised that they have got no space, they get worried,” President Lungu said, in apparent reference to the West.

“But what we are saying is we will work with all our friends. Like I said yesterday [Friday] in Parliament, those who agree with us we will sit down on agreed terms working with them. Those who don’t want can keep away. I don’t see why this China craze…really. China was and is still a developing country and still is the second best economy. And I don’t know what economists have to say about that. When China was doing TAZARA, they were very, very poor. Now they have worked hard, they are where they are and we also want to emulate them and get where they are.”

And on parastatals, President Lungu said Zambia was not selling anything.

“Zesco is in place, it is running. ZNBC is in place, it is running, [Kenneth Kaunda International] Airport is in place, it is running. We are in control. So this anti-China craze is sickening to say the least because I don’t see the reason why it should be a problem. If people in Europe or in America want to lend us money, let them come. We will sit down and talk to them. We want to develop this country. We will not fail just because of falsehoods which are being peddled. So don’t worry, if we owe China money, yes we owe China money, [and] we will pay, and if we owe any other country money, we will pay on terms agreed. That is where we are,” he said. “I think you know batila (they say) you throw the missiles at the tree, it’s either you have a reason, either there are fruits there. You don’t throw missiles on the tree that has got no fruits. So I think there is something they have seen and because we are on a right trajectory. So for me, we will not allow Zambia to back down because of the battles between the West and the East. Dr [Kenneth] Kaunda had his friends maligned; we will remain neutral and so on. We are part of the global family but we have the right to choose friends and this time around, we are friends with China but we are not enemies of the West. So that is where we are.”