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China, Tanzania, and Zambia Formalize Railway Collaboration to Enhance East African Transportation Network

On Wednesday, an initial agreement concerning a significant railway project was signed between China, Tanzania, and Zambia, aimed at enhancing the rail-sea intermodal transportation network within East Africa. This milestone was observed by President Xi Jinping, who officiated the signing of the memorandum of understanding alongside the Presidents of Tanzania and Zambia during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held in Beijing, as reported by the Chinese state broadcaster, CCTV.

In his remarks, President Xi expressed China’s commitment to utilize this summit as a pivotal occasion to rejuvenate the Tanzania-Zambia railway initiative. He stated, “China is willing to take this summit as an opportunity to make new progress in the activation of the Tanzania-Zambia railway, cooperate to improve the rail-sea intermodal transport network in East Africa, and build Tanzania into a demonstration zone for deepening high-quality China-Africa Belt and Road cooperation.”

In addition to this agreement, it is noteworthy that the World Bank has earlier this year approved financing amounting to $270 million aimed at enhancing the connectivity between Tanzania and Zambia, thereby fostering regional trade. The Dar es Salaam corridor, which links the two nations and serves as a crucial route for the transportation of copper exports from the central African Copperbelt region, is managed by the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA). This strategic link provides an alternative solution to circumvent logistics bottlenecks present in South Africa, which have previously hindered the exportation of copper and cobalt from both Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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