CHINA has expressed readiness to work with the governments of Tanzania and Zambia to rehabilitate infrastructure of Tazara railway operated jointly by the two countries.

Built from 1970 to 1975, the 1,860 km single-track railway serves as the monument of the long-standing friendship between China, Tanzania and Zambia. It was the first ever overseas major project to be implemented by the Chinese government.

Chen Mingjian, Chinese ambassador to Tanzania, said in Dar es Salam yesterday that half a century ago, the elder generation of Chinese, Tanzanian and Zambian leaders made the historic decision together to build the railway.

Despite its own difficult situation, China tightened its belt upon the project request and took concrete actions to support the two African countries in their just cause of national liberation and strong desire for economic development.

She spoke during an event to commemorate 70 Chinese experts who died while constructing Tazara railway.

“With profound sincere friendship for African people, more than 50,000 Chinese brothers and sisters travelled thousands of miles to this vast continent, working together with Tanzania and Zambian friends and experiencing all kinds of hardship, building the railway with sweat, blood and lives for six years,” she said.

The envoy added: “During the construction of the railway, 70 Chinese experts, technicians and workers died on duty and were laid to rest forever in this land. They are heroes who have forged a monument of China-Tanzania and China-Africa friendship. We will always remember their names.”

According to her, Chinese President Xi Jinping chose Tanzania as his first stop to visit in Africa after he took office in 2013. He made a special visit to pay his respects and underscored the need to carry forward the Tazara spirit that focuses on mutual respect, equality, tenacity, perseverance and selfless internationalism.

“Everybody will understand the importance of this railway line; it links two countries: Tanzania and Zambia in terms of facilitating movement of people and goods, it is also a symbol of unity and friendship between our three countries,” she said.

This year marks 60th anniversary of China-Tanzania diplomatic cooperation and a moment to highlight achievements that were earlier cemented by the forefathers of the two nations, namely the late Julius Nyerere and Mao Zedong.

Prof Makame Mbarawa, Minister for Transport said Tanzania and Zambia were working hard to bring Tazara back to its feet by providing annual subsidies to meet its operational costs.

“However, we have embarked on finding a permanent solution,” he said.

The minister said that China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) has already been engaged as the main contractor in the project to strategically find the best solution to revitalize the railway.

“We have already started negotiations and we believe that we will reach a consensus soon. In February this year, CCECC submitted a proposal for the upgrading of Tazara to standard gauge and reached a consensus to operate the line at a cost of $1 billion,” he said.

According to him, Tazara has faced operational difficulties from the start and was kept running by continued assistance from China, several European countries, and the United States. Freight traffic peaked at 1.2 million tonnes in 1986, but began to decline in the 1990s as the end of apartheid in South Africa and the independence of Namibia opened alternative transport routes for Zambian copper.

China -Tanzania cooperation has long been leading when it comes to China-Africa cooperation, with China achieving fruitful results from the investment in Tanzania as it has always been a participant, enabler and beneficiary of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).