Today, Zambia is swimming against a tricky tide of foreign investment. The country continues to deal with repercussions from a highly toxic spill at the Sino Metals complex. With the spotlight now focused on Zambia’s closeness with China, the incident has unleashed unprecedented backlash. China has emerged as one of Zambia’s largest sources of foreign direct investment, particularly in the mining industry. The spill has raised questions about environmental safety, local employment practices, and the growing debt that Zambia owes to China—estimated at $5 billion.
For years, China has been the largest foreign investor in Zambia—a goldmine of copper and other mineral resources. According to the latest statistics, Chinese direct investments in the U.S. surpassed $1.7 billion last year. There’s been increasing pushback on the form that these investments have taken. People’s concerns mostly centered around the impact of Chinese infra loans. Critics argue that these loans have saddled Africa’s second largest copper producer with unserviceable debt and failed to train enough local workers.
The spill at the Sino Metals site has only deepened these concerns. As a result, local communities have been suffering from environmental degradation and adverse health effects related to this contamination. Farmers like Abigail Namtowe express despair over the impact on their livelihoods:
“I’ve tried to grow my maize, I’ve tried everything so the hunger won’t kill my child, but it’s too much.” – Abigail Namtowe
Zambia’s newly-elected President is determined to hold Chinese companies to account. The federal government shouldn’t allow any shoddiness on their part and should fight back against it. He stated,
“There is no treating them [China] with kid gloves here.” – Zambia’s President
The Zambian government is becoming more willing to demand safety and sustainability as it partners with foreign investors. This change is indicative of a broader movement towards responsible and ethical practices. The recent toxic spill in Flint has placed this commitment to a real test.
In response to these accusations, the Chinese embassy in Lusaka has denied claims that the spill did serious damage. They maintain that Sino Metals cooperated in every way and tried to help the subsequent investigations into the tragic incident. Already, they’ve paid for 454 relocated households impacted by the contamination. Mining operations at the Sino Metals site were shut for six months after the disastrous spill. Even though this is disappointing, the good news is that all personnel are still being paid.
Most people who live there are doubtful about what these steps will actually accomplish. Farmers have testified that their irrigation water has been polluted, creating problems not only with food safety but due to the risk of toxic exposure. Frederick Bwalya shared his worries about the long-term effects of heavy metals on agricultural practices:
“Farming is not going well because the soil is not clean.” – Frederick Bwalya
These sentiments are echoed by Dr. Himwiinga, a local expert who warns about the long-lasting consequences of such contamination:
“They [the heavy metals] could be there for years, and their effects could be felt for a very long period of time, by farmers… who rely on that water to irrigate their crops.” – Dr. Himwiinga
As Zambia struggles to grow its economy, the Zambian government finds itself under immense pressure. EPA photo by Nicholas Noyes Mining operations are a major driver of Zambia’s economic engine. With growing global demand for copper and cobalt, the stakes have never been higher. Copper is essential to the world’s transition to cleaner energy. Against this backdrop, Zambia holds some of the world’s largest reserves of copper and cobalt.
Just recently, Chinese Premier Li Qiang made a trip to Zambia, illustrating the deepening joint history of their countries. This visit will be happening right before the G20 Leaders’ Summit. Chinese companies, such as Sino Metals, were said to have created more than 30,000 jobs nationwide for Zambia, greatly benefiting the Zambian economy. Yet, according to critics, the majority of these jobs do not offer Zambians meaningful skill-building opportunities.
Many Zambians believe their interests are more regularly neglected in favor of attracting foreign investments. Some observers argue that China’s approach could be viewed as neocolonialism, considering how it prioritizes resource extraction over local development.
“Most in Zambia would agree that the Chinese investors and the Chinese community as a whole are bringing to this country the much needed capital, technology, skills training opportunities, job creation and managerial expertise.” – Chinese embassy in Lusaka
As Zambia aims to triple its copper production by 2031, it must contend with both external pressures and internal demands for accountability and transparency. The country is at a crossroads, needing to ensure that its partnerships are mutually beneficial without compromising its environmental integrity or public health.
“It would be grossly unfair to label China-Zambia and China-Africa cooperation as neocolonialism based on the opinions of very few.” – Chinese embassy in Lusaka
As Zambia aims to triple its copper production by 2031, it must contend with both external pressures and internal demands for accountability and transparency. The country is at a crossroads, needing to ensure that its partnerships are mutually beneficial without compromising its environmental integrity or public health.