By Catherine Sasman
WINDHOEK
A Chinese economic delegation is currently in the country to “implement the outcomes” of that country’s whirlwind but high-powered visit from President Hu Jintao to Namibia a month ago.
This, according to Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce, Gao Hucheng, is important to cement the two agreements – the bilateral economic and trade agreement and the reciprocal protection of investment agreement – the two countries reached last month, and to bring about comprehensive trade and co-operation opportunities.
Eleven Chinese companies were represented at the business seminar organised to introduce Namibian entrepreneurs to their foreign counterparts. It was reported that 38 Namibian enterprises sat in at the seminar.
Since China’s entry into the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the country’s market has opened to the world and brought about a new geo-political configuration to world trade.
This is the second Namibia-China joint commission on economic co-operation held. The first joint commission took place in Beijing in December 2005.
Trade between Namibia and China has increased by 60 per cent between 2005 and 2006. Last year, it amounted to US$120 million. Chinese exports to Namibia stood at US$130 million during the same period.
The visiting Chinese companies have expressed interest in collaboration in sugar, fish and fish powder, meat and leather products as well as other agricultural products, copper and other mineral products, seal oil and other biological energy products, chemical products, and investments.
“The Namibian Government has been keenly following the tremendous speed with which the Chinese economy has industrialised,” said Minister of Trade and Industry, Immanuel Ngatjizeko. “This remarkable achievement is worth emulating and the [Namibian] Government is devising strategies to enable us to learn from this experience and meet the aims and objectives of Vision 2030.”
Ngatjizeko strongly criticised what he called “negative reporting from sections of the local and international media on the friendship between China and Africa”.
“These reports by questioning China’s economic motives in Africa are designed to cause suspicions and distrust among the Africa people on China’s interest in Africa,” he said, adding that the Namibian Government has no doubt that China “means well and is entitled to trade and investment in or with any country of its choice just like all other countries are free to do”.
“[Without] China’s involvement in the global trading system the entire Africa would be turned into a peripheral non-entity in the real-politic calculations of the Western political economic establishment,” he continued. “It is thanks to China’s economic growth that Africa is now experiencing higher prices for its natural resources and commodities, and investment into physical infrastructure. Africa is also able to buy both industrial and consumer goods much cheaper than before from Western suppliers.”
The minister urged Namibians to foster requisite entrepreneurial drive to expose our products to the Chinese market, and redouble efforts to capture at least 2 per cent to 4 per cent that country’s tourism exchanges.
“We in the Namibian business community are eager and prepared to do more business with China,” commented vice-president of the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI), John Akapandi.
He added that Namibian companies would like to explore opportunities in value addition activities “so that our minerals, agricultural produce and other raw materials produced here can be turned into processed
Gao Hucheng has also met with President Hifikepunye Pohamba and the National Planning Commission while in the country.