ZAMBIA’S NEW CHAPTER IN CHINA TRADE
By Alain Kabinda
LUSAKA — When a truck carrying nine tonnes of processed silk cocoons left Mpika for China in late September, it carried more than an agricultural product. It carried a glimpse of what Zambia’s export future could look like beyond copper.
For decades, copper has dominated Zambia’s trade relationship with China. Now, mulberry fields in Muchinga Province, soybean farms in Serenje and plans for a vaccine manufacturing facility in Lusaka are pointing towards a broader economic partnership built around agriculture, industrial development and public health.
A month after the silk shipment, another consignment followed. This time, 120 tonnes of soybeans from CAMCO Demonstration Farms in Serenje were shipped to China, opening another potential market for Zambian agricultural producers.
The two shipments represent early milestones in a changing trade landscape, supported by China’s decision to grant zero-tariff treatment to imports from African countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations.
At a media briefing in Lusaka on October 22, 2026, Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Han Jing described the policy as an opportunity for African countries to expand exports and strengthen their participation in international trade.
“Since 1st May this year, China has applied zero tariffs on 100% of tariff lines to all 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations,” Ambassador Han said.
He said the policy made China the first major economy to extend full, unilateral zero-tariff coverage across all tariff lines to those African partners.
Zambia’s relationship with China has long been associated with mining, particularly copper. But the latest developments suggest that agriculture and manufacturing could play a greater role in the next phase of cooperation.
According to Chinese customs data cited by Ambassador Han, Zambia’s exports to China reached US$1.665 billion in May and June 2026, representing a 39.16 per cent increase compared with the same period in 2025.
The figures point to growing trade, although the contribution of individual sectors and the extent to which the latest agricultural shipments will increase Zambia’s export earnings over time remain important questions.
Under China’s zero-tariff policy, eligible Zambian products can enter the Chinese market without applicable customs duties. This could improve their price competitiveness, but it does not automatically guarantee sales.
Exporters must still meet product standards, sanitary and phytosanitary requirements, transport costs and the expectations of buyers.
For agricultural producers, the opportunity will depend on whether Zambia can consistently supply the required volumes while maintaining quality and competitive prices.
In Muchinga Province, the Zambia Mupika Sericulture Company is cultivating a crop that could introduce a new dimension to Zambia’s agricultural economy.
The first shipment of nine tonnes of heat-processed cocoons to China in late September marked a new export milestone for the country.
Ambassador Han said the company was targeting annual production of 30 tonnes, with the potential to generate foreign exchange, create employment and support value addition.
He also cited estimates suggesting that sericulture could generate more than ten times the income per unit of land compared with maize.
That comparison offers an indication of the industry's potential, although actual returns will depend on production costs, yields, processing requirements and prevailing market prices.
If the industry expands sustainably, opportunities could emerge not only in mulberry cultivation and silkworm production, but also in processing, logistics and related services.
However, the initial shipment is only the beginning. The industry will need dependable buyers, appropriate technical skills, consistent production and investment in processing to establish itself as a lasting contributor to the local economy.
For Muchinga, the challenge is to turn an emerging export activity into a viable industry that delivers benefits beyond the first consignment.
In Serenje, the opportunity is rooted in a crop already familiar to Zambian farmers.
The 120-tonne soybean shipment from CAMCO Demonstration Farms represents a trial consignment into a market with substantial demand.
Ambassador Han said China imports more than 110 million tonnes of soybeans globally each year, offering a potentially significant destination for competitive Zambian producers.
Zambia’s own ambition is to produce three million tonnes of soybeans annually by 2031 under President Hakainde Hichilema’s Grow Zambia Agenda.
Reaching that target would require more than access to foreign buyers. Farmers would need improved productivity, reliable inputs, storage facilities, efficient transport and dependable market arrangements.
The zero-tariff policy could help eligible Zambian soybeans compete in China, but exporters would still have to meet the country’s import requirements and deliver products at commercially viable prices.
Investment in processing could allow Zambia to produce higher-value soybean products, strengthen domestic supply chains and create employment in manufacturing and distribution.
Ambassador Han said discussions were also progressing towards market access for Zambian avocados and citrus fruits.
Zambian honey, which has already reached Chinese consumers through the China International Import Expo, provides another example of how local products could reach buyers in the Asian market.
Ambassador Han identified production capacity, market access and infrastructure as three areas requiring cooperation to help Zambian products reach Chinese consumers.
The first is capacity building. This includes training Zambian inspectors in quarantine and safety standards and improving processing technologies so that products meet Chinese import requirements.
The second is market development through platforms such as the China International Import Expo, the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, e-commerce and wholesale distribution channels.
Ambassador Han highlighted the planned revitalisation of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority railway as an opportunity to reduce transport costs and improve the movement of goods to export markets.
He also encouraged Chinese investment in agro-processing and food manufacturing within Zambia’s Multi-Facility Economic Zones.
These investments could help bridge the gap between agricultural production and industrial development, allowing more processing and economic activity to take place within Zambia.
For small-scale farmers and local businesses to benefit, however, access to these opportunities must extend beyond major exporters and large commercial operations.
While agricultural exports could bring more Zambian products into international markets, a separate China-Zambia initiative seeks to strengthen the country’s domestic industrial and health capacity.
The proposed Zamvax vaccine manufacturing project brings together China’s JIJIA International Medical Technology Co. Ltd and Zambia’s Industrial Development Corporation.
The partnership’s memorandum of understanding was signed on October 7, 2024, in the presence of President Hakainde Hichilema.
According to Ambassador Han, the project will be developed in three phases, beginning with a cholera vaccine fill-and-finish plant in the Lusaka South Multi-Facility Economic Zone.
The first phase represents a planned investment of US$10 million, with an annual production capacity of 20 million doses.
Ambassador Han said construction was expected to begin before the end of October 2026.
The second phase is projected to involve approximately US$150 million for two additional human vaccines, while the third phase will focus on animal vaccines to support Zambia’s livestock sector.
The project introduces a different dimension to the economic relationship: instead of focusing only on what Zambia can sell abroad, it raises the prospect of manufacturing essential products locally.
Ambassador Han said domestic vaccine production could strengthen public health preparedness, reduce reliance on imported finished vaccines and support a faster response to outbreaks.
“This project means far more than a factory. It strengthens public health capacity, cuts reliance on imported vaccines, and enables faster local response to outbreaks,” he said.
If completed and operated successfully, the facility could create skilled jobs and contribute to the development of Zambia’s pharmaceutical manufacturing sector.
However, the first phase’s fill-and-finish model would involve completing vaccine products from supplied materials. It should not be confused with producing every component of a vaccine entirely within Zambia.
For the investment to deliver its anticipated public health benefits, the facility will also need to meet stringent quality standards and establish reliable supplies, distribution arrangements and sustainable demand.
Ambassador Han placed the initiatives within the broader history of relations between Zambia and China, which established diplomatic ties shortly after Zambia gained independence in October 1964.
He recalled the construction of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway as an example of cooperation that helped connect landlocked Zambia to regional and international markets.
The railway became an important part of the country’s transport and trade infrastructure, linking Zambia to the Tanzanian coast.
Today, the Ambassador said, the same spirit of cooperation was being carried forward through new agricultural exports, industrial investments and health-sector manufacturing.
“The soybeans crossing oceans, cocoons leaving Mpika, and vaccines to be produced in Lusaka all carry that same spirit forward,” he said.
China’s zero-tariff policy provides a potential opening, but Zambia must build the productive capacity needed to take advantage of it.
From the mulberry fields of Muchinga to the soybean farms of Serenje and the planned vaccine plant in Lusaka, the emerging story is one of possibility rather than a finished transformation.
The nine tonnes of silk cocoons and 120 tonnes of soybeans are early steps. The proposed vaccine facility represents a longer-term industrial ambition.
Together, they point towards a future in which Zambia’s economic relationship with China could encompass more than minerals — provided that market access and investment commitments translate into sustainable industries, competitive exports and tangible benefits for Zambian communities.
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