Staff Reporter
NAMIBIA and China signed a series of agreements and memoranda of understanding covering economic cooperation, healthcare, education, green minerals, tourism, agriculture and human resource development during President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s state visit to Beijing, as the two countries elevated bilateral relations to a Namibia-China Community with a Shared Future for the New Era.
The agreements were signed following talks between President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Namibian leader’s state visit to China from 5 to 11 July.
The two governments signed a Framework Agreement on Economic Partnership for Shared Development (CADEPA), aimed at strengthening long-term trade, investment and economic cooperation between the two countries.
Photos: Namibian Presidency
A second agreement established a Paired Hospital Cooperation Mechanism between Namibia’s Ministry of Health and Social Services and China’s National Health Commission to enhance cooperation in healthcare services, medical training and institutional partnerships.
Four memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were also concluded during the visit.
One focuses on expanding bilateral cooperation in technical vocational education and training (TVET) to strengthen skills development and workforce capacity.
Another MoU, signed between China’s Ministry of Commerce and Namibia’s Ministry of Industries, Mines and Energy, provides a framework for cooperation in the green minerals sector, supporting value addition, sustainable mining and investment in strategic minerals.
The two countries also agreed to jointly implement a 2026 Human Resources Development Cooperation Plan, which will provide training opportunities and capacity-building initiatives for Namibians.
In addition, China Media Group and the Namibia Tourism Board signed an MoU aimed at promoting Namibia as a tourism destination through increased media cooperation and publicity.
The two sides also signed a Protocol on Phytosanitary Requirements governing the export of fresh Namibian table grapes to China. The protocol establishes plant health and inspection requirements that will facilitate access for Namibian grapes to the Chinese market.
Among the additional documents signed was a Letter of Exchange on the deployment of a Chinese expert team to Namibia to conduct a feasibility study for the second phase of the China-aided Satellite Ground Data Receiving Station and Processing System.
The two governments also endorsed the minutes of an on-site inspection and feasibility study for a Smart City pilot project in Namibia, which had been signed on 3 July.
The agreements form part of a broader joint declaration in which Namibia and China agreed to elevate bilateral relations to a Namibia-China Community with a Shared Future for the New Era, committing to deepen political trust, expand trade and investment, strengthen cooperation in critical minerals, energy, agriculture, healthcare, education, digital technology and infrastructure, and coordinate more closely on regional and global issues.
The joint statement also reaffirmed both countries’ commitment to increased cooperation through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), support for Namibia’s industrialisation and development agenda, expanded market access for Namibian exports, and greater collaboration in peace and security, people-to-people exchanges and multilateral institutions.
Following the bilateral talks, Presidents Nandi-Ndaitwah and Xi witnessed the signing of the cooperation documents before the Namibian president concluded her state visit to China.
