Zambia's newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs Mundia Sikatana said Tuesday in Lusaka that his country will sustain the good relations with China, which he said is a " world economic power" and "a long-standing friend to Zambia."

"We can not but continue to sustain such relations and we hope for the best," Sikatana told Xinhua after being sworn in together with other 19 ministerial heads who were appointed by President Levy Mwanawasa on Monday.

The former minister of agriculture said he and his colleagues would hopefully accompany the president to go to China to attend the China-Africa Cooperation Forum to be held on November 3-5 in Beijing.

"I am sure the (Zambian) government will prepare adequately so as to go and contribute to the summit," he said.

Sikatana commended Chinese investors in Zambia, saying they have contributed to the economic development of Zambia.

"There are also Zambian investors in China," he said. "The world is so small that we have to depend on each other."

China established diplomatic relations with Zambia shortly after the southern African country gained independence in 1964. Since then, the two countries have experienced fraternal relations for more than 40 years. China was even called by former president Kenneth Kaunda as an "all-weather friend."

In late 1990s, more and more Chinese companies were coming to Zambia to invest in areas such as copper, textile industries and agriculture.

So far, more than 180 Chinese companies have pumped in Zambia a total of 316 million U.S. dollars, making China the third largest investor in the country.

Source: Xinhua