Namibia flirts with China on trade, investment

The Namibian presidential delegation to China is seeking partnerships in mining, agriculture and logistics, particularly those that help Namibia develop.

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah arrived in China on Sunday with a delegation of six ministers and more than 200 businesspeople.

China was Namibia’s second-largest trading partner last year, with trade reaching N$40 billion.

“The relationship with China is not based on sentiment but on economic reality.

China is one of the world’s largest economies and virtually every major economy engages with it, including many that publicly argue for reducing dependence on China,” presidential spokesperson Jonas Mbambo told The Namibian yesterday.

A state visit is the highest level of diplomatic engagement, and ministers and businesspeople accompanying the president can use this visit to create opportunities for Namibia, Mbambo said.

“The real measure of this visit will not be in the headlines from day one, but the investments, partnerships and opportunities that flow from it for the benefit of the Namibian people,” he said.

Close to 300 businesses expressed interest in accompanying the president, according to the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB).

“No selection process was undertaken, as this is an open mission for all businesses and individuals who expressed interest to participate.

The NIPDB did not provide financial support to any of the delegates as they are participating at their own expense,” NIPDB spokesperson Catherine Shipushu says.

Former ambassador of Namibia to China Elia Kaiyamo says the visit is a significant milestone for relations between the two countries.

“China has been our friend for many years and this is just a continuation of our relationship. I’m quite happy with the visit and look forward to the outcomes,” Kaiyamo says.

The president told an audience of Chinese and Namibian businesspeople in Guangzhou yesterday that Namibia is open for investment.

“I am here to inform the Chinese business people that Namibia is open for trade and investment, and Namibian businesspeople are ready to partner with you in a manner that will help our two countries to meet their development objectives,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.

Some critics have questioned the value of the president’s visit to China this week, including the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), who say diplomatic engagements do not yield results for ordinary Namibians.

“The question is whether Namibia will return with binding commitments for processing plants on Namibian soil, or merely with memoranda of understanding that join the pile of unsigned promises from previous state visits,” IPC parliamentarian Rodney Cloete says in a press release on Sunday.

He calls the relationship with China a “resource extractive relationship dressed in diplomatic language”.

“The composition of that N$40 billion tells a story the headline deliberately obscures. Namibia exports uranium, lithium, marble, and increasingly beef and fish to China.

China exports manufactured goods, machinery, electronics, and vehicles to Namibia,” Cloete says.

Public policy analyst Marius Kudumo told Desert FM yesterday that all countries will pursue their own interests.

He said Namibia’s discussions with other countries, including China, should focus on whether the relationship can benefit Namibia’s development.

Continuing Namibia’s current relationship with China, exporting raw materials and importing manufactured goods, shows a lack of vision in leadership, he said.

“Obviously, you don’t blame China because they are very clear about their strategic interest. You need to blame yourself,” he said.

Former member of parliament, now a member of the Action Democratic Movement party Erastus Shuumbwa yesterday described the president’s decision to take half her Cabinet as unnecessary.

He said she should return home with proof of what the delegations have achieved in China.

“If she cannot prove any tangible outcome from China, [then] this is simply just a vacation holiday trip for her and her Cabinet ministers,” Shuumbwa said.

He said although China is a good example in areas Namibia is looking to improve on, wasting money should not be allowed especially if such trips do not yield results.

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