China's whole-process people's democracy is a valuable governance experience that Zambia can learn from, said Zambian ambassador to China Iven Zyuulu in an exclusive interview with Xinhuanet.

The "two sessions" pool wisdom from all sectors of society, enabling grassroots voices to be heard at the decision-making level, the ambassador stressed.

Having attended this year's "two sessions," Zyuulu noted that China's economic development remains a key area of interest, alongside the country's broader progress across various sectors.

The ambassador said that China's sustained economic growth and well-defined five-year development vision are not only advancing its own development but also offering valuable cooperation opportunities for partners worldwide.

He spoke highly of China's steady economic momentum, describing the performance as truly impressive and encouraging.

"It is really gratifying to see China maintain an average growth rate of around 5% and projected to keep this momentum," Zyuulu noted.

As the world's second-largest economy, China's steady annual growth carries great significance for the global economy, he added.

This year marks the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030). As the "two sessions" convene in the opening year, the world is looking to China for its new development blueprint.

The ambassador pointed out that China's clear five-year development roadmap is a major benefit for all its partner countries. 

When China lays out a clear development roadmap for the next five years, it opens up tangible opportunities for countries that cooperate with China in various fields, making our bilateral collaboration much easier and more efficient, said the ambassador.

On bilateral relations, Zyuulu said that Zambia and China enjoy a long-standing friendship. The Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA) is an iconic symbol of this bond, and its revitalization will further strengthen bilateral cooperation and people-to-people ties.

In September 2025, China, Zambia, and Tanzania signed a landmark 1.4-billion-U.S.-dollar agreement to revive the TAZARA railway.

Zyuulu further stressed that frequent high-level exchanges between China and Zambia in recent years have injected strong impetus into Zambia's continuous development of infrastructure and livelihood projects, delivering benefits to the Zambian people.

Statistics showed that trade volumes between the two countries reached 3.56 billion U.S. dollars in the first half of 2025, representing a 15.5 percent increase year on year. 

Zambia will continue to deepen cooperation with China in energy, artificial intelligence, infrastructure, agriculture and other sectors, and jointly advance world peace and common development, said the ambassador.

Since assuming his role as ambassador to China, Zyuulu has visited Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Guizhou and many other places in China. He expressed his admiration for China's robust infrastructure. "Even small cities are equipped with complete infrastructure, including bridges, highways, railway networks and air transport systems. This makes me truly realize that China's development has reached every corner of the country."

The year 2026 has been designated as the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges. Zyuulu emphasized that such exchanges are vital to bilateral relations, with fruitful results achieved in education, vocational training, culture and tourism.