Chinese technology amazes Namibian Speaker
The Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Prof Peter Katjavivi concluded his official visit to the People’s Republic of China at the invitation of his counterpart, H.E. Mr. Zhang Dejiang, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), in Shanghai.
Katjavivi was accompanied by the Chief Whip, Hon. Evelyn Nawases-Taeyele and by his wife.
The People’s Congress is the Chinese legislature with 2936 members of parliament, the largest parliamentary body in the world.
At a meeting of the Presiding Officers of Parliament that was held at the Great Hall of the People last week Monday, Katjavivi stated that the cooperation between the parliaments of China and Namibia extends beyond the parliamentary sphere, saying “both countries have since Namibia’s independence maintained healthy bilateral relations and achieved commendable results in various areas of cooperation such as politics, economy, trade, culture, education, infrastructure development, science and technology, public health and information exchanges.’
The delegation also had official discussions with the leadership of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress, the Shanghai governing authority.
The Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress, Ms. Yin Yicui, told Katjavivi that the Shanghai population has reached 24 million; GDP in 2015 increased by 6.9% (RMB 2.5 trillion) over the previous year; per capita disposable income of urban and rural households reached RMB 53,000 and RMB 23,000 respectively. She further stated that the number of regional headquarters of foreign multinationals that set up shop in Shanghai has grown to 535.
While in Shanghai, the Speaker delegation visited the Waigaoqiao No.3 Power Generation company which is a joint-stock company under Shenergy Company Ltd., with two 1000 MW ultra-supercritical coal-fired power generating units. This power plant is a world leader in the use of coal-fired power station technology that produces lower emissions. The management of the company expressed interest to work with Namibia and informed the delegation about the contact made with the Ministry of Mines and Energy.
The delegation also visited the Shanghai Electric Desalination Engineering Technology Company; a power generation and electrical equipment manufacturing company which also specializes in the desalination technologies. After an exchange of views, it was discovered that the leadership of the company had been in touch with the Namibian Government and the City of Windhoek and has expressed interest in collaborating with Namibian entities.
