Zambian newspaper eyes Mandarin market

As Chinese influence continues to grow rapidly in Zambia, the state-owned Times of Zambia newspaper has come up with an ingenious way of increasing their revenue – it published yesterday’s lead story in Mandarin. The article quotes President Edgar Lungu as saying Zambia ‘will not look east or west – we will look forward and go with whoever wants to go with us’. BBC News reports that the comments were made while he hosted a Swiss delegation in Lusaka on Tuesday. Government spokesperson Dora Siliya said ‘the initiative is aimed at tapping into the Chinese market’. Lusaka has denied claims that the government has accumulated a great deal of Chinese debt.