作为非洲最大贸易伙伴，中国也是赞比亚的主要债权国。赞比亚是南部非洲的一个内陆国家，国土面积约为法国的1.5倍。从利文斯顿到姆普伦古，途经首都卢萨卡，中国的投资项目众多，有时规模宏大。2025年11月25日，北京为横跨南部非洲的一项重大铁路现代化项目奠基，旨在帮助赞比亚通过印度洋港口将其宝贵的铜出口至亚洲。
China, Africa's largest trading partner, is also the main creditor of Zambia, a landlocked country in southern Africa with a landmass one and a half times the size of France. From Livingstone to Mpulungu, via the capital Lusaka, Chinese investments have been numerous, sometimes on a grand scale. On November 25, 2025, Beijing laid the foundation stone for a major rail modernization project across southern Africa, intended to help Zambia export its valuable copper to Asia through Indian Ocean ports.
由国际调查记者联盟（ICIJ）牵头、Le Monde参与的合作调查项目“中国资本”揭示了中赞关系中一个鲜为人知的侧面。内部文件显示，与中国国家关系密切的中国工商银行（ICBC）通过主要服务于北京利益的贷款，将赞比亚拖入了债务螺旋。
A lesser-known facet of Sino-Zambian relations is uncovered by "China Capital," a collaborative investigation led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), in which Le Monde took part. Internal documents show how the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), an institution closely tied to the Chinese state, pulled Zambia into a debt spiral through loans that primarily served Beijing's interests.
2010年代初，受大宗商品繁荣和中国对金属的需求推动，赞比亚经济快速增长。该国寻求投资者修建输电线路、公路、体育场和机场。2011年，赞比亚国有电力公司Zesco与中国工商银行签署了一项长期2.85亿美元（约2.53亿欧元）贷款，旨在为多个省份供电。
In the early 2010s, Zambia's economy grew rapidly, fueled by the commodities boom and Chinese demand for metals. The country sought investors to build power lines, highways, stadiums and airports. In 2011, Zambia's state-owned power company, Zesco, signed a long-term $285 million loan (€253 million) with ICBC, aimed at providing electricity to several provinces.