Charting a Shared Path

Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah paid a state visit to China from 5 to 11 July, during which she and her delegation visited several cities including Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong Province, Chengdu in Sichuan Province and Beijing.

On 10 July, Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Nandi-Ndaitwah in Beijing. The leaders of the two countries jointly announced the elevation of bilateral ties to a China-Namibia community with a shared future for the new era.

When addressing the media in Beijing on 9 July, Nandi-Ndaitwah described her state visit to China as a significant step in advancing bilateral relations. Recalling China’s support for Namibia’s liberation struggle, she said the two countries have built a partnership based on solidarity and mutual respect. She noted that China has made important contributions to Namibia’s development through cooperation in infrastructure, education, health care and human resources, while China’s experience in long-term planning, industrialisation and technological innovation offers valuable lessons for Namibia.

Looking ahead, Nandi-Ndaitwah said Namibia aims to deepen cooperation with China in trade, investment, industrialisation, agriculture, mining, green energy, technology, infrastructure, skills development and people-to-people exchanges. She welcomed China’s zero-tariff policy and the Belt and Road Initiative as opportunities for African countries to grow exports and spur development, while stressing the need to strengthen local production and value addition. She also called for closer China-Africa cooperation in promoting multilateralism and a more equitable international order. She encouraged the Namibian and Chinese media to tell their own stories from their own perspectives, to foster stronger mutual understanding and a shared future.

In an interview with ChinAfrica and other media outlets, Nandi-Ndaitwah shared her views on the visit and discussed topics including China-Africa cooperation, industrialisation and geopolitics. An edited excerpt of the interview follows:

You visited Guangdong Province, a coastal manufacturing hub, and Sichuan Province, an inland industrial powerhouse. Which part of your visit so far has left you the deepest impression? What are your specific expectations for cooperation in these two regions? 

During my visit to these places, historical stories were told and information was provided. For example, in Shenzhen, we were told that 45 years ago, it was just a fishing village. But today it is one of the shining cities in China. For a fishing village to become one of the best cities in less than 50 years is commendable. What does it tell us? It tells us that when you plan with a focus and you work hard, you will achieve. And this is what we, as Namibia, have learned.

One focus of our visit to Guangdong Province was the ICT sector, where we visited Huawei’s headquarters. They are going to run smart-city programmes in Namibia. They are already doing pilots there, starting with Windhoek and Swakopmund. They have also shown us smart education, and the whole issue of AI, from which we expect to benefit, particularly for our one-stop shop, to help to move business forward.

Sichuan Province is where we went for agriculture. That is what we learned in the two provinces I visited.

How do you see the role of frameworks such as FOCAC in promoting cooperation between China and African countries including Namibia? 

FOCAC is a multilateral programme between Africa and China. However, different countries also benefit individually.

For example, when China decides to set aside an amount of money from FOCAC to invest in cooperation with Africa, it is always allocated in phases. Some can be used bilaterally, country to country; some is for enterprises to contribute to the economy of specific African countries.

So, when we talk about the growth of trade between Namibia and China, those programmes under FOCAC have also contributed one way or another.

Throughout this visit, a significant emphasis has been placed on expanding trade and investment between the two countries. Which sectors of Namibia’s private sector particularly do you anticipate will benefit from the partnerships forged during this visit? 

The agricultural sector is going to benefit, because some of the partners we met here are talking about agricultural equipment that will be assembled in Namibia, making it more competitive. We are informed it will be cheaper. Spare parts will not be a problem. Servicing will not be a problem. So definitely, if we can get that, agriculture will benefit.

When I visited the agricultural tech demonstration park in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, I saw research on different varieties of seeds; but equally important, I saw research on equipment for use at different scales. Some can be used in the household, some in small-scale farming and others in large-scale farming.

Again, agriculture will benefit when we talk about the zero–tariff policy, because China wants to import our beef, our mutton, our fish, including aquaculture and everything from the ocean that is edible. Also our grapes, in which they have expressed interest. So, agriculture will be one.

Of course, mining is another sector that is going to benefit. And then processing, both agro-processing and mineral processing. So those are the ones that will benefit.

Namibia is striving for its industrialisation. What role has China played and can China play in this process? 

China can play a big role. Namibia is endowed with natural resources, good scenery and good biodiversity, both fauna and flora. Chinese enterprises would be attracted by the resources we have. And we know they have the technology. So, we have resources, which will be in the hands of Namibian enterprise, and the Chinese enterprise brings the technology and possibly finance; together they can use those resources and the available skills to access international markets and financing. That is the role China can play in our industrialisation.

And once they come together, if it is minerals, they extract; after extracting, they process, and those products will be Namibian products, which can be exported even to China. In that way, it will be a win-win situation, because China will have products that are produced in Namibia.

If it is tourism, it will also help industrialisation, because tourism is a job creator and it contributes to infrastructure development. It can also bring significant resources into the country. This is really how we can support one another in the process of industrialisation.

Some international observers portray China-Africa cooperation through the lens of geopolitical competition. How do you respond to such narratives? 

Politics is very dynamic. It is not static. Things are moving, but in international relations, every country is fighting for its national interest; that is the underlying factor. But in doing so, you also have to be sensitive to others. As African countries, we are looking at how best we can benefit from Africa’s natural resources.

At the same time, we will continue to play a role in the international arena. In this regard, we all wish to strengthen multilateralism. We all demand that international conflicts should be resolved across the table.

So on geopolitics, our focus is on strengthening multilateralism, so that all countries, small and big, can survive. Otherwise, if strong countries are left to dominate unchecked, it’s no longer the world you want to see. And remember, in Africa we have our Agenda 2063, which speaks to the Africa We Want, and we can only reach the Africa We Want if we partner with those who understand where we want to go. That is really how Africa is looking at geopolitics.