Chinese ambassador to Namibia Zhao Weiping, last week held round-table talks with local authority representatives, media personalities, artists, academics and political party youth leaders to set the tone for the year ahead.
The theme of the symposium was China–Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, with discussions centred on the importance China attaches to the development of its relations with Africa.
During the 2024 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), President Xi Jinping announced that China’s bilateral relations with all African countries that maintain diplomatic ties with China had been elevated to the level of strategic relations.
As 2026 marks the Year of China–Africa People-to-People Exchanges, the Chinese diplomat also invited views from local partners on which areas of exchange and cooperation require strengthening to further deepen the relationship.
Two Namibians who recently visited China shared their experiences during the discussions.
Executive Director of the Namibia Institute for Democracy Naita Hishoono reflected on her visit to Jiangxi (Nanshan) Province in October, which focused on modernisation and poverty reduction.
“China achieved this level of development in a short space of time, and Namibia can do the same before Vision 2030,” Hishoono said.
She emphasised the importance of a two-way Namibia–China partnership and highlighted China’s zero-interest loans for young entrepreneurs as a model worth exploring to address youth unemployment.
New Era journalist Edward Mumbuu, who spent several months in China under the China International Press Communication Centre (CIPCC) exchange programme, said the experience enabled him to report more objectively.
“Being on the ground gave me a different outlook and helped me challenge dominant media narratives,” Mumbuu said.
He highlighted tangible outcomes of Namibia–China cooperation, including agreements reached at the 9th FOCAC Summit attended by former president Nangolo Mbumba, such as housing for Namibian police officers. The Chinese government has committed close to N$1 billion toward the project.
“The relationship goes beyond boardroom discussions to projects people can actually see,” he said, adding that continued two-way media exchanges should be based on “mutual respect, sovereignty and equality”.
