FROM EIR DAILY ALERT
Namibian President Strengthens Relations with China, Dubs It Best Friend of Africa
March 31, 2018 (EIRNS)—The Presidents of China and Namibia, Xi Jinping and Hage Geingob, agreed to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership for cooperation between their countries, and signed six bilateral cooperation agreements, at their meeting in Beijing on March 29. President Geingob had begun his seven-day state visit to China the day before.
At the signing ceremony, both Presidents spoke of how China has been an “all-weather friend of Namibia,” in reference to its support for Namibia’s independence, and now in its development. Xi said,
“China welcomes Namibia to participate in the Belt and Road, and hopes to strengthen policy cooperation and synergy of development plans,”
Xinhua reported. Xi spoke also of his belief that China and Africa will join hands to build a closer community with shared future and inject new impetus to China-Africa ties.
For his part, Geingob expressed Namibia’s interest in cooperating with China on infrastructure, sustainable development, human resources, technology, poverty reduction, people-to-people exchanges, and major cooperation projects. He also took the occasion to deliver an emphatic defense of China’s development efforts in Africa. Xinhua reported that the Namibian President called China Africa’s best friend. It never colonized Africa, and has always treated small and medium-sized African countries on an equal footing, and the African people oppose unfounded accusations against China, he stressed.
In an interview with China Global Television Network today, Geingob expressed his pride and appreciation for the elevation of relations with China to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
“China has been supporting us when things were bad, and then after independence, we continued [our cooperation] to another level,” he told CGTN.
“Now we are moving up. Now it is the era of the second phase of the struggle for us, where people now have peace and stability, but they are anxious to get the benefits of that freedom. They want to prosper. They want to have shelter, infrastructure, schools, clinics, etc., and they are eager. They are in a hurry. So China, being the all-weather friend, who was there when we were first struggling, now that we are in the second phase of the struggle, that of economic emancipation, those who are with us, must come to join us.... This time, we are talking about creating a win-win situation.”
