China to support Namibian industrialisation, Chinese ministry says

China says it will support Namibian plans for economic development, according to a joint press statement released on Friday by the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs and the Namibian ministry of international relations.

This comes at the end of a week-long trip to China by Namibia’s minister of international relations and trade, Selma Ashipala-Musavyi.

The minister focused on promoting value addition within Namibia during her visit.

“Namibia underscored the importance of cooperation in enhancing the added value of natural resources, including critical minerals such as uranium,” the joint press statement says.

Additional processing in Namibia will bring additional value to the Namibian economy, providing employment and promoting industrialisation, the two ministries say.

“All these efforts are aimed at increasing Namibia’s integration into the global industrial chains, particularly in key sectors such as green hydrogen, oil and gas, mining, and tourism,” the ministries say.

Ashipala-Musavyi on Tuesday told the business community in Shenzhen – one of China’s key economic hubs – that China and Namibia must transform their relationship into one that promotes Namibian industrialisation and local beneficiation.

“While trade is significant, it reveals a classic asymmetry. We send raw materials and receive finished goods. Our goal is to rebalance this equation. The solution lies in moving the industrial processes, the crushing, refining, manufacturing, and branding, closer to the source,” she said.

According to the Namibian ministries’ statistics, trade between the two counties was N$ 23 billion in 2024.

Namibia primarily exports uranium, copper and other minerals to China while importing high-value manufactured goods.

China said it supports Namibia’s development goals, while Namibia said it will continue to cooperate with China.

The two ministers also discussed promoting cultural exchanges through the 2026 China-Africa year of people-to-people exchanges and Namibia re-affirmed its support for the one-China principle.

During her visit, the minister met with her counterpart, Wang Yi, as well as with the minister of commerce, Wang Wentao.

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