1965, China decided to build the Tanzania-Zambia Railway beyond its national strength. How did Premier Zhou make this decision?

In 1960s, new China's foreign policy changed, and Africa and other third world countries became our goal. From the end of 1963 to the end of 1964, Zhou Enlai visited many African countries in succession, and put forward eight principles of China's foreign aid during this period. These eight principles have received great response internationally, especially in Africa. From 65438 to the beginning of 0965, on the day Premier Zhou visited Africa, a group of Tanzanians arrived in Beijing. They are a Tanzanian trade delegation led by Minister of Commerce and Cooperation Babu. The trade delegation arrived in Beijing for consultation and communication on Tanzanian President Nyerere's upcoming official visit to China. He Ying, then Director of the west asia and africa Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was responsible for the reception. During the meeting between He Ying and his wife, Babu mentioned the financial difficulties Tanzania encountered in building the Tanzania-Zambia Railway. He Ying submitted a report on the talks to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in which he wrote: Tanzanian leaders may raise the issue of Tanzania-Zambia Railway in a more euphemistic way. Upon receiving this news, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately reported to Zhou Enlai. Premier Zhou called Fang Yi, then director of the Foreign Economic Commission, and Lv Zhengcao, then minister of the Ministry of Railways, to ask for their opinions on this matter. In Fang Yi's West Flower Hall, Premier Zhou sat under the lamp and asked: Is it possible for us to help them build this railway? Fang Yi, who is in charge of foreign aid work, looked at the ceiling for a while and estimated: "In terms of domestic construction costs, this railway will cost at least tens of billions of yuan. If all the equipment is provided by us, we can't win more than one billion yuan. As a country that has just got out of trouble, I am afraid that its national strength cannot afford to spend such a large sum of money to help foreign countries at once. " Premier Zhou knew very well that Fang Yi's economic account was not miscalculated, and he was lost in thought. Premier Zhou has just restored our economy in Africa, but at the same time, we are faced with an unprecedented sinister international environment: the western powers have implemented policies of economic blockade, political isolation and military threats against China, and China urgently needs to adjust its foreign strategy and realize the strategy of making friends actively. At this time, it was the wave of African colonial independence, which was the inevitable choice of China's diplomacy at that time, and it was also the top priority for Zhou Enlai. Yi said, "What you said is also reasonable. This is really beyond our national strength. If we don't take it all at once, but take it out bit by bit over several years, China's economy will develop every year, and the cost should be affordable. Seeing that Fang Yi was still frowning, Zhou Enlai talked deeply about his views: "The Tanzania-Zambia Railway is not only of economic significance to Tanzania and Zambia, but also of military and political significance. In short, the Tanzania-Zambia Railway must be built. As for who will build it, it can be China or other countries. And if we come forward to repair it, it may have a great shock to the world. Hearing Zhou Enlai's words, Fang Yi and Lv Zhengcao immediately understood. They said, "Premier, no matter what difficulties we have, we will help with the construction. "... After many discussions on Zambian President kaunda's visit to China, Zhou Enlai instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to immediately write a report to the Central Committee requesting assistance in the construction of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway, which was finally approved by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. After the news spread, Tanzania and Zambia were ecstatic, while the western countries were shocked and rumors poured in. In the face of these unfriendly voices, how will new China and African friends respond? Pay attention to the headline number of "The Secret of Hubei Satellite TV" and continue to decrypt it for you!