Windhoek
The Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China, Wang Yi, and his delegation are tomorrow expected to arrive in Windhoek on a whirlwind visit that will see him having high-powered talks with President Hage Geingob and other top officials.
It has become tradition for the Chinese foreign minister to visit Africa for his first external visit every year – which reflects the importance China attaches to the continent – but this will be the first such visit by a Chinese foreign minister to Namibia in four years, said Chinese Ambassador to Namibia, Xin Shunkang, who confirmed the visit yesterday.
“We are forever friends, brothers and partners. The main purpose of his visit is to discuss the development and cooperation plan between China and Africa, especially on how to implement the outcome of the Forum on China and Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Johannesburg Summit, so as to ensure all the African countries and people could benefit from our cooperation,” explained the Chinese ambassador.
During his visit to Namibia, Wang will have an audience with his Namibian counterpart Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister before he will pay a courtesy call on Geingob the Namibian President, at State House.
The action plan of the FOCAC Johannesburg Summit, bilateral relations and global and regional hot issues of common concern will be among the topics, said Xin.
The great success of the FOCAC Johannesburg Summit last December marked a new era of China-Africa relations and at the time Wang had elaborated the historic significance and outcome of the FOCAC summit.
At the FOCAC summit held in South Africa last year both sides had decided to elevate the China-Africa relations to the comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership, to more precisely reflect the strategic character of bilateral relations and more ambitiously lead the development of China-Africa cooperation. FOCAC also proposed five major spheres for the cooperation – to seek equality and mutual trust in politics, win-win cooperation in economy, mutual learning in civilization, mutual assistance in security and unity and coordination in international affairs.
China also undertook to carry out practical cooperation with Africa in the major fields of industrialization, agricultural modernization, infrastructure, finance, green development, trade and investment facilitation, poverty reduction and people’s welfare, public health, people-to-people exchanges, and peace and security,
China further promised in the shortest time possible to focus on resolving major livelihood issues including employment, food and clothing and breaking the development bottlenecks of backward infrastructure, insufficient talents and fund shortage.
The Chinese foreign minister will depart Namibia on the same day after having visited Malawi, Mozambique and Mauritius. In the past 25 years since the two countries formalised the bilateral ties cooperation in all fields has been constantly deepened, with increasing mutual political trust, people-to-people exchanges and coordination in international affairs.
The long-term total investment of US$5 billion in Husab Mine in Namibia became the biggest entity investment of China in Africa and is the sample project of bilateral economic cooperation.
Last August, Namibia signed the protocols of importing its beef to China. Last month, the Chinese experts visited Namibia and completed the final inspection on certified factories. Once the inspection report is approved by the Chinese government, Namibia may export bone-in beef to China which will make it the first African country to export its beef to China.
Chinese firms operating in Namibia have also created over 6 000 jobs for locals.