China-Zambia relations maintains robust development: spokesman

China-Zambia relations have remained at a high level, with mutual trust continuously deepening and fruitful cooperation across various fields, said a Foreign Ministry spokesman on Thursday.

Lin Jian, the spokesman, announced at a press briefing in Beijing that Chinese Premier Li Qiang will pay an official visit to Zambia on Nov 19 and 20 at the invitation of the government of the Republic of Zambia.

"Zambia is a comprehensive strategic cooperative partner of China in Africa. Over the past 61 years of diplomatic relations, the two countries have developed bilateral ties under the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, and the traditional friendship has grown stronger over time. In recent years, under the care and strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Hakainde Hichilema, the bilateral relations have maintained robust development with solid mutual trust and fruitful cooperation outcomes in various areas," Lin said when asked to comment on the relations between China and Zambia.

"China looks to working with Zambia through the visit to accelerate the implementation of the important common understandings between the two presidents and the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, deepen political mutual trust, expand mutually-beneficial cooperation, promote common development, have closer communication and coordination on international and regional affairs, and make greater contribution to building an (all-weather) China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era," he said.

China-Zambia relations maintains robust development: spokesman

China-Zambia relations maintains robust development: spokesman

The number of overseas tourists claiming China's departure tax refund surged 285 percent year on year in the first 11 months of 2025, according to data released by the State Taxation Administration on Monday.

In the same period, the sales volume of goods eligible for departure tax refunds and the amount of tax refunds both increased 98.8 percent, according to the data. By the end of November, the number of tax refund stores catering to international visitors in the country had reached 12,252, including over 7,000 "instant refund" stores.

The departure tax refund measures, which enable overseas tourists to claim back value-added tax on eligible purchases made at designated tax refund stores before leaving China, are translating growing inbound travel flows into consumption momentum and emerging as a fresh driver for inbound tourism spending, the administration said.

China has introduced a series of measures since April to optimize its tax refund system for overseas visitors. Tax authorities nationwide have improved processing efficiency and enabled cross-region refund services, making the procedure more convenient and thus boosting tourists' spending.

The country first implemented the departure tax refund policy for overseas travelers in 2015. Since then, the scale of departure tax refunds has continued to grow year by year, benefiting an increasing number of international travelers.

Departure tax refund applications in China surge 285 pct in Jan-Nov