Dar es Salaam, January 9 (Xinhua) — On January 9, 2026 local time, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, told the story of the Tanzania Zambia Railway and China Africa friendship during a joint meeting with Tanzanian Foreign Minister Kongbo in Dar es Salaam.
Wang Yi stated that in the 1960s, in order to support the development and construction of Tanzania and Zambia, which had successively gained national independence, China, which was not wealthy at the time, resolutely decided to send a large number of engineering and technical personnel to come here from afar and overcome numerous difficulties to build the Tanzania Zambia Railway for the African people. China is willing to help Tanzania because China and Africa share similar historical experiences and common ideals. We are brothers, comrades, partners, and friends, and we need to unite and strengthen ourselves to achieve national development and enable our people to live a better life.
Today, we must join hands to reactivate the Tanzania Zambia Railway, promote its greater role, make it a new engine for Tanzania’s development, give Tanzania wings to soar, and bring visible and tangible benefits to the local people. We should jointly develop industries such as agriculture, manufacturing, and mining along the railway line, and create a prosperous railway belt and economic development corridor.
Wang Yi said that in China, the story of the Tanzania Zambia Railway is well-known, and the concept of China Africa friendship is deeply rooted in people’s hearts. China and Tanzania built railways together in the past, and now they are also moving towards modernization together. China is willing to work with Tanzania to remember the achievements of our predecessors, promote traditional friendship, and jointly build a new monument of China Africa friendship.