Xi's special envoy attends Zambian president's inauguration

LUSAKA, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's Special Envoy Xian Hui attended the inauguration of President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia in Lusaka on Tuesday, at the invitation of the Zambian government.

Hichilema met with Xian, who is also the vice chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, at the Community House on Wednesday.

Xian conveyed Xi's cordial greetings and best wishes to Hichilema, noting that China is willing to work with Zambia, guided by the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, to carry forward the traditional friendship, deepen political mutual trust and practical cooperation, firmly support each other, strengthen international coordination, and push for greater development of the China-Zambia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to better benefit the two peoples.

For his part, Hichilema asked Xian to convey his sincere greetings to Xi and expressed gratitude to Xi for sending a special envoy to attend his inauguration ceremony.

Noting that Zambia is grateful to China for its long-standing and valuable support, Hichilema said that the Zambian side will continue to firmly abide by the one-China principle and actively expand friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation with China in various fields, including new energy, the digital economy, and artificial intelligence.