President Edgar Lungu’s Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations has said that it was regrettable that U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton has wrong information about Zambia’s debt to China.
Responding to claims made by a White House official, John Bolton, that China is about to take over ZESCO to recover the $6-10 billion debt, Mr Chanda said that ZESCO was never provided as collateral and Zambia’s debt to China was only $3.1 billion.
“It is regrettable that such information can come from such a high-ranking official. In fact, ZESCO is not within the scheme of Zambia’s debt to China,” he added.
Mr Chanda said Zambia valued its relations with both China and the US and would not deal with either of them exclusively.
On Thursday, the Trump administration unveiled a new Africa policy focused on combating the “predatory” practices of China and Russia, and ending what it calls “indiscriminate assistance” and “unproductive, unsuccessful and unaccountable” UN peacekeeping missions.
Mr Bolton said that the US was losing ground to China and Russia, who he said were using their investment and trade to gain direct leverage on African governments, often through corrupt means.
“China uses bribes, opaque agreements, and the strategic use of debt to hold states in Africa captive to Beijing’s wishes and demands. Its investment ventures are riddled with corruption, and do not meet the same environmental or ethical standards as US development projects,” Bolton said.
As an example of Chinese leverage, he said Zambia was in debt for up to $10bn to China, which was poised to take over Zambia’s national power company to recoup the debt.
Mr Bolton also accused Russia of selling arms and energy in exchange for votes at the UN. Those votes he added, helped keep “strongmen in power, undermine peace and security, and run counter to the best interests of the African people”.
“The predatory practices pursued by China and Russia stunt economic growth in Africa; threaten the financial independence of African nations; inhibit opportunities for US investment; interfere with US military operations; and pose a significant threat to US national security interests,” he said.
These American officials only speak when they have all the facts, unlike Amos and Sunday…useless chaps. PF needs to own up and tell the nation the truth for once.
One would think that with the ubiquity of the Internet, our citizens would be more clued up, but looks like it is not the case as evidence by you @mwabupo. For you, everything a white man says is true , more so if they are Americans, and everything a black man says is false, more so if they are Zambian. How sad!!! Is this what western education has bought us: citizens that can only parrot the west propaganda.
If you read the rest of the story, this is just a fight back by the West against the rise of China and they will use fake anecdotal evidence to make their case and you have to be smart enough to see this for what it is ..Western Propaganda against China.
If you have even dared to follow US politics you will realise how big liars these American can be especially under Trump…
You are a self proclaimed bootlicker so a debate with you is pointless however, I did not say black people but the pf…this is not one and the same; PF is not representative of black people or Zambians for that matter. Facts are facts and burying our heads in the sand does us no good.
The variation in figures used means Mr. Bolton has no empirical evidence on the size of Zambian debt. I presume he pulled this from some overt sources put on the net during our own inter-party smear in the social media. Certainly not from covert which gather and correlate hard data. No doubt he has hit on very important issues which Mother Africa cannot afford to arrogantly push her her the kitchen sink mindlessly. We have dangerously mismanaged our poverty and natural resources in peace times. All said, this is not just propaganda, but a prelude of another East-West rivalry 2.0 in template. Time to wisely default to our non-aligned status and exploit both blocks to our national advantage.
John Bolton is a sorry CAT, trust me on this one if you have never seen integrity in my knowledge and analysis.
Despite having English as his first language, he can’t differentiate the difference between OPINION and FACTS>
The USA also owes Over a trillion dollars to China. This clown looking Bolton needs to worry about his clown looking criminal president Trump who can’t read and prefers to be briefed using pictures like a 2 year old!
What facts. They call you sh…t countries and you apploud them. China has always helped Zed. USA has always milked us and call us backward. Chanda has facts USA has racism and will never help Zed the way China has. Facts are facts no matter how much you hate them
I think that any objective person would carefully examine these assertions before dismissing them as propaganda. As someone has already noted American officials don’t just make claims that are not well researched, unlike some people I wont mention. It’s possible that it’s just propaganda. But there are things that we know are true.
1. China debts are usually opaque. The terms and conditions are only known to PF and China. the rest of us know very little.
2. The deals are full of corruption and overpriced contracts.
3. The Chinese have taken over strategic state institutions in other countries so there is precedence.
4. Zambian debt to China is very high. If you just take a cursory glance at the ones we know about, and then you think of the ones we don’t know of and you know this…
@1.1 MMD chief Bootlicker
I agree with you….fear of the white man…inferiority complex too much and self hate and that’s Mwebupo…….if a white man says jump they jump….if a white man says it’s OK to for man to marry a man people like Mwebupo will agree… for as long it’s coming from a white man’s mouth
Bootlicker, spot on. Senior Citizen has expanded further and put it clearly. Cold War 2.0!! Journeyman-check your sources of info and apply the history of this continent to your thinking. Bolton says China’s deals are opaque but are America’s deals in DRC transparent??
And the sad part is John Bolton doesn’t even where Zambia is….he probably only knew about Zambia yesterday through the Chinese media
If PF continues to deny this then Trump will have no choice but to impose sanctions against Zambia. Now if sanctions are impossed against Zambia, will the PF tell the truth and ask Trump to forgive them? Sorry but it will be too late for that.
PF is afraid to tell the truth because people will ask where all that money has been gone.
To minions like bootlicker who is condemning people siding with the white man I would like to challenge him to think about anything that qualified Zambians have invented and created that they can sell to the white man under PF regime. It’s foolish to demonise a white man and yet Zambians are 100% reliant on white man s technology and Language to pretend to be civilised.
Only the Chinese have what it takes to demonise the whites for they have shown…
Bolton and his boss are both morons. Just ask former US Secretary of State, Rex W. Tillerson. Why bother ourselves with a moron like him. Him and his boss always fail the truth litmus test every time they are fact-checked.
Now, the other part he said may be real and true but the debt figures are all pulled out of his behind and he ought to be ashamed of himself as the National Security Adviser.
This is one guy with Dick Cheney who disparaged General Powell’s report and falsely pushed the narrative that led the US into the invasion of Iraqi authorized by W on false weapons of mass destruction.
Just like they did not find them weapons in Baghdad then, they will not find Chinese debt in excess of $3B taking over ZESCO in among the smart people of the Zambian Enterprise.
What a…
PF stop stealing the money before China itself turns against Zambia to win trade concensation from US.
No smoke without Fire. What if the Chinese have them selves told the US the truth about the Zambian debt situation in exchange for some thing? Who are you not to believe the story?
Xiping does not joke with corruption. Soon and very soon China will demand it’s money from Zambia. And when this happens PF minions will start saying China is bad ask US to intervene hey?
PF has failed and must go.
China has already started turning the heat up against Zambia. That’s why PF are hiking taxes and energy prices in the dead of the night to extract more money from poor citizens in order to pay the Chinese off before they start grabbing state assets.
This is no coincidence. PF once told IMF to ff and suddenly Lungu is pleading with IMF for a bailout to avoid Chinese bailiffs grabing state assets
Problem with Zambians under PF control is they can’t think beyond Lungu. Lungu has become their God who can not do any wrong.
For now let’s leave it to posterity to judge PF minions.
Lungu must go.
Don’t say things you don’t understand the current US administration are full of lies and corrupt people. Just listen to CNN. People say things and later come to apologize. Trump himself say things without facts on the table, Sarah Sanders say things without facts as well. Trumps long time lawyer just admitted that he’s being lying for a long time to cover trumps dirty work. People are lying very day in Trumps administration and You fake Zambians living abroad are busy saying “ before Americans say something the always have facts” what facts? Listen to the news and you will realize that’s there’s no truth in American politics.
Journeyman you obviously never heard of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq that was part of misinformation by US. To date they have not been found. America is in $1.7 to China. So, who is kidding who. Yes, Chinese are not always angels, nonetheless, so our leaders need not be foolish dealing with these guys.
Mwabupo,
You are displaying the typical inferiority complex of some black Zambians. Anything that comes from a white or European American like the conservative, right wing, and racist U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton must be factual and true. Anything coming from a black Zambian, particularly a PF government functionary, even if factually correct, must be false and should be taken with a pinch of salt. Be comforted though that you are not alone, judging by the number of thumbs down I expect to get from your kindred spirits after my write-up.
America fears China or Russia will be the next frontier power, Chinas currency yuan has already been recognised by the IMF as a reserve currency, it means its stable and strong enough to be used for trade, America fears if Yuan is offloaded on the market, America would crumble because everyone would be using yuan for trade purposes. example, I can go into any Zambian bank, swap my kwacha for yuan, travel to south Africa, swap my yuan for rand and buy goods in SA for resale in Zambia. America is afraid.
I’m breaker and I approve this message
@Hakaainde
How is indebting Zambia with overpriced infrastructure helping us? The Chinese aren’t any better because govt wouldn’t be scrambling to payoff these people by introducing all kinds of funny taxes.
was it not the very Trump administration that diluted a story that whites were being killed in SA for over the on going land repossession without compensation? when the white race is threatened, these boys and girls will stop at nothing to remain relevant to who knows who.
I’m breaker, I’m transcendent and I approve this message
Amos, don’t get us in the cross-fire between The US and China!
Your lack of transparency on Zambia’s true debt to China is what explains everything that there is something fishy going on between PF and Chinese officials! When our leaders start singing praise for foreigners and attacking any criticism of the Chinese, just know our sovereignty is at stake! This is how it all started with the slave trade! China has come to use your women and get all the resources they can lay their hands on. We hate Cockroaches!!!
The fact is Zambia has accumulated debt from China. Whether America is fighting China, inkongole Shena nifumfwe.Propaganda won’t change the current debt situation.
The problem is government has never accepted anything that threaten its position even if its true.
Even when Zambia was wealth, with population of under 10million people, with only few roads, we still contracted debts. The only difference is that it was from IMF.
why are you arguing….isnt zambia indebted to china?did you see what happened to Djibouti?keep on arguing & defending nkongole,you will realise the truth/reality when you are in too deep & the water reaches your neck level if not worse.
CIA speaking here Amos! They know better than you! You could have done better to just keep your peace!
I think before dismissing this we should remember these two big countries spy on each other and the USA may have information picked up from inside China which is not yet known to Zambia. CIA is complex
African governments should ignore false propaganda from the West. What has America done for Africa?
Established FIRST FREE COUNTRY under BLACK AFRICAN LEADERSHIP?
America is just interested about America, don’t even be fooled that they care about the African people as hey’ve rightly said China is a threat to their interests, where? In Africa, just read that last paragraph carefully and the light will shine.
What do expect, when you the same gorverment are hiding debt figures even to your own citizens.
Don’t you know how dull most of the Americans are, at the top most Mad Max Trump. This shouldn’t surprise you. Not even worth responding. A Chinese understands Africa better then the Americans and Europeans.
stupid Chinese cheap labour and no proper safety conditions Chinese is killing Africa and its people . there was Anglo America they paid people good salaries . minimum wage america 7 thousand kwacha and avic paying people as low as 800 kwacha Chinese is not proper investment
@ Joe
Do you try to say that Chinese understand better how to exploit greed of African leaders for their (Chinese) benefit?
The truth is Zambias debt , foreign and domestic is close to ,$17 billion…..
And chanda Bolton is right in saying China has bribed lungu and most of his cabinet and gang to accept useless concessions …..because of China bribing lungu et al and having that leverage , we are now at the mercy of China. The only thing stoping the Chinese taking compete control is they do not yet have their population in place to number millions , they still fear an unrising….
But as lungu warned you, you can not fight the Chinese invasion….he knows that he has been bought , hook line and sinker and by issuing that statement , he is prepering Zambians for mass Chinese migration. Mass Chinese migration is the last chip lungu is selling…..
This typical derogatory copy and paste propaganda from a university headed paper
Let come to woodlands police for questioning
He will end up answering. NO COMMENT
Imagine even the Americans have this intel on their fingertips, what’s more to dispute. If what is being said is true then adding to the disclosed debt of US14billion you add US10billion, voila the total debt is in the range of US24billion, our GDP stands at between US25 and US27billion. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to fathom that something is terribly wrong here. It actually does make sense, that is the reason that these misfits have failed to disclose the true debt owed to China. How and who is going to pay for this ineptitude, negligence, callousness, and sheer stupidity of the PF. Soon and very soon all will be laid bare for all to see.
Someone wrote them using university headed paper. These people will respect a university professor.
What they dont know is that there is a difference between a Dr and Zambia and Dr in the west. Here we have Doc. GBM
I just hurt whatever is coming out of American hole(the mouth) coz if it was them ,they would think of colonising most of African countries . They stole so much oil in Libya when they fighting innocent Gaddafi. Please OSAMA BIN LADEN u didn’t tell us how we should treat America
$6 to $10 billion in debt. Red herring.
It is regrettable that the UPND negative fake news campaign has so much energy.
@ Empty Brainless Skull
If there is a single professional center of “fake news” source in Zambia, then that source is President Edgar Lungu’s Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations.
By the way Mr. !mbecile, what the f*ck it has UPND to do with Bolton or with your Endemically Corrupt Leader of Plunderers Federation borrowing billions to line his pockets?
Did UPND members enjoyed your mummy without paying in forex?
May I remind you its the US, that info is a fact. Now its only a matter of time before lousy companies like ZESCO start dancing to the dununa song….
Read the book The Fight: A Secret Service Agent’s Inside Account of Security Failings and the Political Machine
Comment: Daniel,,do u have the book?? where can one get it from??
Those figures that the Americans are using are the same propaganda figures that are used here at home by the ant-government forces for their political fortunes. There’s no difference between the fake news that we are fed locally here and this from Americans. Zambians should be very careful as to which news they take to be true. After all Government have repeatedly said those who want to get true economic figures are free to go to the relevant arms of government and ask for such news. What is your real problem guys?
“….Zambians should be very careful as to which news they take to be true. …”
ZNBC ??
This should not excite opposition because change will not start in usa.
change is home grown surpoted by external
USA wont vote in Zambia. They have their own TRUMP to sort out
The fact of a matter is Zesco, one way or the other Zesco will go and its a fact
I would only advice Zambia not to be caught in the cross fire between China and America. It is too high level a fight to be involved in this trade war. We cant even be wealthy to be a pony.
CAF has withdrawn 2019 nations soccer tournament from Cameroon upon the American intelligence advice. To assume that for once they are wrong because they have talked about our debts,am afraid its not in the interest of our nation. Let’s face the reality because Zambia is all we have. If my neighbor tips me about promiscuous activities of my wife,am I supposed to insult him or dig deeper? Maybe the Chinese has something to say about all this.
Help from within has been corrupted. Is time to start welcoming external help. Thank you America.
Corporate and government secrets will no longer be secretes.
Welcome to big data.
Welcome to AI.
He can’t accept since they are ones benefiting we know you pf
The war between China and America is now coming up in the open Zambian Grounds.
China and Russia assisted ZAMBIA and other African countries to gain their Independence.
Bank of China Governor in 2005 on BBC said ‘Americans want to eat now, we Chinese want to eat tomorrow’.
They forght for us 50years ago now they want to eat.
We can only have programs for how we can learn from Chinese instead of crying and blaming each other.
Amos Chanda state house spokesguy lives in denial. A high ranking official from white house cannot speak without facts. Actually the US has intelligence that advise on matters unlike state house where PF cadres advise on national matters.Amos Chanda says no when he means yes.
Sure. This is dangerous thinking
Amos Chanda, give us ka breakdown kannkongole and some details about the terms and conditions so that we rebuff these folks accusing us of corruption and spreading false information. Let us shame them by making all the details public and show them we are very transparent about our business with our chinese friends :D!
Yes, Amos failed to dismiss the means in which China is providing these loans. And the figure he’s quoting is current debt on the books and being repaid but it doesn’t included debt for incomplete projects such as KKIA, etc which Zambia starts repaying once they’re complete
PF can f00l Zambians All the time but they can’t f00l the rest of the civilized world! A few of us Zambians know that China has successfully colonized Zambia!
When Zambians fail to pay their debts, they will have to surrender their women and children as payment – your women to be wives for the Chinese and your children as slaves! Already, the Chinese are already helping themselves with Zambian girls and already bearing half Chinese, considered as taboo in China! Just wait!
Bolton has said something and Amos has said something. We don’t have a way of verifying authenticity of both statements, the best that one can do when they don’t have facts is to shurrup. obviously one of the two is lying but trust me we don’t know which one, so stop outdoing one another here immediately. Sha
When you listen and examine a speech from a white Person does not mean that you suffer from inferiority complex,, $3.1 billion is the legaly revealed debt,, the possibility is there that Zambia might have other hidden debts in the pipeline,, America owes China, about 1 trillion,, but this is below 10% of there GDP,, if you come from a poor country it is a very big debt,, it is very difficult for you and me to know the actual debt which Zambia owes China unless those who are part of the intelligence,, but do you think a Supper power like the USA,, which houses the world savers for communication can not have accurate information??
You ka chanda, that US embassy on a hill top over looking the whole Lusaka listens to all your corrupt communications between each other and the Chinese…..
And where is that pompwe BR BAMBA MUMBA JR ? He lives in the US , let’s hear his thoughts
If NASA managed to listen to 20 world leaders conversations this included the German chancellor,, and these countries have advanced cyber intercepts,, but still there communication system was paralyzed by NASA,, what is Zambia and safe guarding its debt details against a supper power??
stupid Chinese cheap labour and no proper safety conditions Chinese is killing Africa and its people . there was Anglo America they paid people good salaries . minimum wage america 7 thousand kwacha and avic paying people as low as 800 kwacha Chinese is not proper investment
@Marion, Imagine, their intel is so robust that they can see you in your house iwe ka Amos. And why is Amos the one answering whether the statement is true or not? What this dimwit needs to do is to direct the minister of finance from the presidents office to make an official statement or better still complain to the American embassy, if what is being alleged is false. But we know that they can not take that route as the Americans will be compelled to publish all the facts at supersonic speed. Just keep you trap zipped before you open a can of worms my cadre iwe..
That simply tells you that those deals are signed and negotiated at State House. Otherwise Amos Chanda in his own capacity as a presidential spokes person should be answering these kinds of questions or even trying to justify anything. It should be the Ministry of Finance people who we have entrusted with financial issues of the this country who must be clarifying these issues or is it accusations. Next it will be Lusambo making statements about this issue.
Ati Zesco is not in the scheme of China debt….
…so it’s a scheme…..schemes are usually spells trouble….
What do you think of a people who still can’t bow their heads on their shame of mistreating the African slaves. We built America without pay for 400 years and today they call a black man an ***** ! Shame ! You killed Lumumba to bring war in DRC so you can steal minerals behind the urgly veil of war! Killed great African leaders like Lumumba, Kaddafi , Sankalo among the lot who meant well to their people and replaced them with your clones. The things you continue doing to date. Its time up now! Africa is now awakening. We slowly knowing why we have found ourselves in such a condition. You no longer can fool us nor can you manipulate us much longer? Noooo ! Yes someone foolish among our people will be misled, but that is expected. Time is ticking out and fast! Africans will be the…
“The predatory practices pursued by China and Russia
i. stunt economic growth in Africa;
ii. threaten the financial independence of African nations;
iii. inhibit opportunities for US investment;
iv. interfere with US military operations;
v. and pose a significant threat to US national security interests,” he said.
Obviously only iii. to iv., US interests, are of concern to Trump’s America.
The Americans have also used i. and ii. The issue now is jealous when America’s rivals use the same tactics. Otherwise why is Africa so poor despite having been western colonies for hundreds of years and slaves before that?
USA has literally done something close to nothing for African countries.infact they should be the last people to talk about our problems…in as much as we being helped by china,let us also be mindfull about the way we are borrowing…before we become slaves of this good looking monster.
That’s the problem, ati done nothing for Africa ?
Work and stop expecting handouts ….
Bolton seems to know much more on Zambia than the mistreatment of black Americans in his country hey? What comes first….. his country or Zambia , which he can not even locate on the map. Shame on these hypocrites!
It is amazing to see how some people are supporting the statement by Amos and calling the US official as not telling the truth. How many timeshare Amos and the PF lied to us in daylight. They told us fuel prices were not going to be increased and increased the same day among the many lies. They have been caught pants down on many occasions with the same Amos giving statements that do not hold water. Instead of trying to talk about the trade war and all that which may be true the bottom line in Zambia has contracted serious debt which is overpriced due to corruption and some of the things and roads that we have paid for have started giving in even before we start paying for them case in point the Kitwe-Ndola highway which is perpetually under rehabilitation.
Those in the health sector…
Why should they even speak for us about our internal affairs? Does Zambia speak about America’s debts to other countries? They talk about United Nations but fail to respect the sovereignity of other nations. Let Africans speak for themselves! We never appointed “world monitor” to speak for us.
$350 million USA aid for Lusaka water and sanitation ??
Stop taking their aid then…..
TRADE WAR:
USA .vs China
West . vs East
Capitalism. vs Communism’s
PF .vs UPND.
Propaganda at its PEAK.
Caught pants down Lungu- Bolton has the facts.
We are hot. America and China baletulwila
And yet USA owe China 12 trillion dollars. The war trade between China and US has become real and USA suffering the most because of stupid Trump economic tariffs on China and China is responding
by demanding USA to pay back the 12trillion dollars
Fact is, neither will benefit enough from a developed self-sufficient Africa.
Question is not of the good guys and bad guys… neither is it of the better of 2 evils.
Question is how we can become in-dependant!
Truth is like pregnancy, you can hide it, but only for a time. Truth is also a child of time
Zambians are very wise. They clearly see who is a friend, foe and predator. Surely, what is cheaper – US$350 million lining up concrete in drainages already dug by Welensky or Chinese roads with four lanes & new drainages on both sides for US$400 million & more mileage than Welensky drainages?
Those parroting the narrative of Chinese exploiting us have melons for brains. Good thing is a far greater majority see the value of Chinese support & the exploitative tendency of Americans. Zambians will pick China over America all the time. Woe to those selling off to America such as that opposition party.
Black people like Spaka that have inferiority complexes towards white people, are Africa’s biggest threat. China has figured out who they are and the west is shaking in fear. Ignore these clowns that are supporters of the man that sold our mines for a song. Bolton gets news from fox news and CNN, they do not like China as a super power. Open your eyes Africans. We should not take China for granted too, they need to trade fairly with Africa and Zambia.
The PF government must just ignore the Americans. The PF government consists of capable and sound adults. PF officials must not be lectured by the Americans on governance issues. Zambia is for Zambians and the Americans must leave all Africans alone. Let all Africans independently choose a resourceful non-African nation(s) which is/are considered as their genuine partner(s). Americans must stop dictating to Africans. The PF government must inform Americans that the world has changed and that they must keep their dollars.
The American economy is riddled with a 20 trillion dollar debit and the Americans owe the SAUDIS and the Chinese. The increasing brown issues in America are indigence and homelessness. Africans must work very hard as a collective, so that by 2070 we Africans must solicit our African American brothers and sisters to relocate back home here in Africa.
The loyalty of Africans cannot be traded for American dollars. The Americans must leave Africa for Africans and they ought to repatriate all the stolen resources (including human resources in form of slaves during the ancient slave trade), which were appropriated by them and Europeans.
“Only” 3.1 billion?? It was a scandal when KK’s total debt (not “only” Chinese debt) was “only” 4 billion
Let the government of Zambia prove Mr Bolton wrong by laying bbare to the general public the documents pertaining to the agreements with China instead oof just talking. If China took over the entire port in Sri Lanka what can stop them from taking over Zesco. I think the American government should be allowed to disclose what they know by way of providing proof.
Comment:this is madness where is Zambia goin, the chiness are not wanted in africa OK