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Home / Namibia, China sign inter-parliamentary accord
Namibia, China sign inter-parliamentary accord
2018-05-18Staff Report 2 George Sanzila Windhoek – The Speaker of the National Assembly, Professor Peter Katjavivi has reiterated his call for strengthened parliamentary cooperation between Namibia and the Asian economic powerhouse of China. He made the call to his visiting Chinese counterpart, Li Zhanshu, the Chairman of the National People’s Congress of China who led a powerful 50-person delegation that left Windhoek for China after visiting Namibia for three days. Katjavivi, who visited China in 2016 to seek mutual cooperation between the country’s legislative bodies, noted that bilateral ties between the two countries have been elevated, particularly following the visit in late March to China by Namibian President Hage Geingob. Intensive talks by President Geingob with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping resulted in numerous bilateral agreements being signed between the two friendly countries. Matters of interest that enjoyed discussions between the two presiding officers included capacity building for parliament, monitoring of the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), globalisation, trade and others. “We look forward to cooperation involving parliamentarians and staff exchange, exchanging experiences in the area of promotion and preservation of national heritage. We would like also to work closely with those engaged in parliament’s monitoring and evaluation of SDGs,” noted Katjavivi. Katjavivi further thanked the Chinese Speaker for a donation of 30 pick-up vehicles and equipment to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism that preceded official talks between the two top legislators. Vehicles and equipment donated are to be used for anti-poaching activities of the ministry. “I offer our sincere thanks and appreciation for the generous donations that you and your delegation have presented to us. It is much appreciated by our parliament and the people of Namibia,” stated the Namibian speaker. Zhanshu said Namibia and China enjoyed long standing relations that date back to the days of the struggle for Namibia’s liberation. He further revealed that his mission was to build on that strategic partnership. The two legislators later signed a memorandum of understanding that would pave the way for the implementation of agreements reached between the two parliaments. *George Sanzila works as Chief Information Officer in the Division, Research, Information, Publications and Editorial Services at the National Assembly. 2018-05-18Staff Report 2
