China to continue to encourage citizens to invest in Namibia, supports Swapo manifesto

China has voiced its intention to deepen its relationship with Namibia by continuing to encourage its citizens to invest in the country.

At his first press meeting of the year in Windhoek on Tuesday, Chinese ambassador Zhao Weiping underlined what Namibia stands to gain from its relationship with China, alongside addressing hot-button issues such as United States tariffs and Taiwan.

“We highly appreciate the reaffirmation by the new Namibian government to deepen China-Namibia cooperation, and the Chinese side also attaches great importance to the bilateral relationship. We hope and believe that, with the joint efforts of both sides, China-Namibia relations will achieve even greater development in the next five years and bring even bigger benefits to our two peoples,” he said.

Weiping emphasised China’s experience with modernisation and poverty alleviation as a major benefit for Namibia. Since the country began reforms in 1978, its economy has grown at a staggering rate going from U$149.5 billion to U$18.9 trillion in 2024.

“We are very happy to share our experience of modernisation with our African friends, and join hands in achieving modernisation together,” he said.

He further stated that China is willing to support Namibia’s development goals as outlined up in the Swapo manifesto and implementation plan.

Discussing cooperation so far this year, he confirmed that the first batch of food assistance from China arrived in January and that the second batch would be arriving soon.

Another development in the relationship between the two countries are the efforts to increase Namibian exports to China. An agreement was signed by Wang Lingjun, vice minister of the general administration of China customs, earlier this month to boost cooperation in customs operations and promote trade facilities.

He also signed an agreement on the inspection, quarantine and hygiene requirements for mutton and chevon to be exported.

“There is a great potential for investment cooperation between our two countries, and the Chinese government will continue to encourage Chinese enterprises to expand their investments in Namibia,” Weiping stated.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.