The year 2024 is the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Zambia. 2024 China - Zambia Year of Culture and Tourism opened in Beijing on the morning of May 11th, with the participation of nearly 100 Chinese and Zambian tourism industry professionals, attended by Chinese Minister of Culture and Tourism Sun Yeli, Zambian Minister of Tourism Sikumba, and Zambian Ambassador Ziulu. The Chinese Minister of Culture and Tourism Sun Yeli, Zambian Minister of Tourism Sikomba, and Zambian Ambassador in China Ziulu attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches.

At the opening ceremony, Mr. Sun Yeli, Minister of Culture and Tourism of China, and Mr. Sikomba, Minister of Tourism of Zambia, jointly launched the Sino-Zambian Culture and Tourism Year.

Sikomba, Zambia's Minister of Tourism, spoke in an interview with an international online reporter that China and Zambia have upgraded their bilateral relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership last year after the Zambian President paid a state visit to China. China and Zambia have designed and opened a number of direct tourism routes to facilitate the travel of Chinese tourists.

Speaking of China, Sikomba said that whenever Zambia is in need of help, China always gives timely help. After Zambia became a “Belt and Road” country, what China has done for Zambia is commendable. Today, he hopes to take this opportunity to let the Chinese people understand Zambia more deeply, and strengthen the cooperation in the field of tourism and cultural interaction between the two countries.