Forum on China-Africa Cooperation set to further strengthen ties
Namibia will be among the more than 40 African leaders who have confirmed their participation for the Forum on China-African Cooperation (FOCAC) Beijing Summit in September.
Chinese Ambassador to Namibia, Yiming Zhang this week at a media brief in Windhoek, said H.E President Hage Geingob will visit China on 1 September to attend the forum which will run under the theme topic of the Belt and Road Cooperation .
Zhang said that since Johannesburg Summit in 2015, Namibia has enjoyed a number of benefits brought by FOCAC.
According to Zhang the two sides have almost finished 20 grant projects to which China provided about more than N$2.8 billion financial support; China has become the biggest export market of Namibia since the first quarter of 2018; Chinese companies have created about 11,000 jobs and N$250 million has been contributed to tax revenue and China has provided about 400 short-term training opportunities or government scholarships since 2016.
“I am of the view that the FOCAC Beijing Summit will become another milestone in the history of China-Namibia friendship,” he added.
Meanwhile, touching on the theme of the summit, Zhang said that Namibia is at a greater advantage in enjoying the Belt and Road Cooperation, since it has exceptional advantages in good governance, nice people, free media, strategic locations and good infrastructures.
According to Zhang, the Belt and Road Cooperation, follows the principle of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration, focusing on infrastructure connectivity, policy coordination, financial cooperation, trade facilitation and people to people exchanges.
“I sincerely hope that Namibia’s President during his visit will consider to pen down the cooperation agreement with China which will make it the 10th country to do so,” he added.
There are currently 55 members of FOCAC, including China, 53 African countries that have diplomatic relations with China.
