LUSAKA, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Many Chinese enterprises have come to Zambia in recent years, injecting energy into local economic and social development through aid projects and investment, according to a Chinese diplomat.



These Chinese enterprises, working with Zambian people and businesses, had not only accelerated their own growth, but also played an enormous role in driving the local economy, Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Zhou Yuxiao said.



The Chinese government had played an important role in encouraging Chinese enterprises to go to the country, he said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua on Wednesday.



Zhou said the Zambian economy had developed rapidly in recent years and China had a huge market, rich development experience and capital,technology and the professionals needed by Zambia. He said the number of Chinese enterprises eager to invest in Zambia was increasing.



The annual growth rate of China-Zambia bilateral trade has remained above 30 percent since 2000. In 2010, total bilateral trade value topped 2.5 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of 97 percent.



"The China-Zambia trade cooperation is highly complementary as Zambia is a land with great development potential," Zhou said.



China's investment in Zambia reached 2 billion dollars at the end of 2010, ranking third after South Africa and Britain. Besides traditional fields, such as infrastructure construction, transportation and mining, investment projects had extended to agriculture, energy and medical treatment.



"The policy and legal environment for Chinese and Zambian enterprises to carry out investment cooperation is improving constantly," the Chinese ambassador said.



Promoted by both governments and the joint efforts of Chinese and Zambian enterprises, trade between the two countries had surged, he said.



Meanwhile, the implementation of eight polices and measures on pragmatic cooperation with Zambia under the framework of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum had achieved remarkable results, Zhou said, adding that Chinese investors had become major players in Zambia's key economic sectors.



Currently there are about 300 Chinese companies operating in Zambia, most of them private companies. The main areas of Chinese investment are mining, manufacturing, agriculture, trade, infrastructure, tourism, technology, energy supply and telecommunication.



According to data from the Zambian Investment Center, Chinese investment in Zambia has created more than 25,000 jobs for locals.



As other investors withdrew from Zambia during the global financial crisis, Chinese companies maintained production and investment, and did not lay off local workers. On the contrary, Chinese enterprises took over Zambia's Luanshya Copper Mine and Munali Nickel Mine, revitalizing the two mines while creating more than 3,400 jobs.



According to the ambassador, if an employed miner supports four family members, those job opportunities brought direct benefits to more than 13,600 people in Zambia. This demonstrated that a friend in need is a friend indeed, he said.



"Another good example is that the Chinese-invested poultry and agricultural farms, about 20 at this moment, have contributed to the ending of Zambia's history of importing eggs from abroad," Zhou said.



The Chinese farms had played an important role in supporting the local market in addition to providing many jobs for locals.



China had also built roads, railways, bridges, hydropower stations, sports stadiums, hospitals, schools, agricultural centers, and farms, which were real and essential infrastructure and industries that promoted social and economic development in Africa, Zhou said.



As more and more Chinese investment flows into Zambia, aid from China in the form of grants, interest-free loans and concessional loans had also increased over the years, covering infrastructure, agriculture, education, health, training and scholar exchanges, the ambassador said.



Under the framework of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, grant projects across Zambia, including two rural schools, the Agricultural Technology Demonstration Center, Lusaka General Hospital and Ndola Stadium had been completed or were about to be completed, he said.



The world was undergoing unprecedented change, but the friendship and cooperation between China and Zambia would never change, Zhou said.



The ambassador said China would work more closely with Zambia, enhance bilateral economic and trade cooperation, help Zambia boost social and economic development and bring more tangible benefits to the Zambian people.



"I am very confident that, with joint efforts, the win-win cooperation between China and Zambia will be further enhanced," he said.