Starting May 1 this year, China expanded its zero-tariff treatment to cover all 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic ties, a landmark policy that unlocks massive market access for Namibian exporters and injects fresh momentum into bilateral economic ties under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Namibia's Minister of International Relations and Trade Selma Ashipala-Musavyi said in a recent interview that Namibia is advancing export diversification to fully capitalize on the zero-tariff policy.

Exports of Namibian agricultural products, including beef, mutton, fish, oysters, grapes and blueberries, are set to expand, while the country will also push processed foods such as sausages and dried meat into the Chinese market. The Namibian government stressed that it will seize this opportunity to advance industrialization and product value addition.

Practical cooperation between China and Namibia is continuously transforming resource advantages into development momentum, turning the outcomes of cooperation into tangible benefits for the people.

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah of the Republic of Namibia will pay a state visit to China from July 5 to 11. Nandi-Ndaitwah said the visit is aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and deepening economic cooperation between Namibia and China.

Pragmatic cooperation

In recent years, the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between China and Namibia has deepened steadily. Pragmatic cooperation spanning infrastructure, economy and trade, green energy and people-to-people exchanges has reached every corner of the Namibian people's lives, serving as a driving force for the country's development.

Trade figures bear witness to the robust vitality of China-Namibia economic ties. In 2025, bilateral trade volume hit $1.85 billion, marking a year-on-year increase of 35.72%.

The expansion of infrastructure cooperation has delivered a more secure livelihood for Namibians. In November 2025, the China-aided Dr. Hage G. Geingob Freeway opened to traffic in Namibia's capital, Windhoek. With the new freeway now open, travel time between downtown Windhoek and Hosea Kutako International Airport has been cut from about 50 minutes to just over 20 minutes, greatly improving transport efficiency and easing congestion in the capital.

In the Kavango East Region of northern Namibia, the John Mutorwa Road project, constructed by China Henan International Cooperation Group, officially opened in March 2025. Beyond improving transportation, the project has also created local employment opportunities and fueled growth for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Driven by the dividends of the zero-tariff policy and mutual market demand, agricultural cooperation between the two sides has expanded, opening broader global markets for Namibian agricultural products.

In September 2024, Namibian sheep and goat meat secured market access to China. Albertus Ochamub, an executive of a Namibian meat firm, said the zero-tariff policy unlocks a rare window of opportunity for Namibia to export high-value agricultural goods to China.

Meanwhile, China continues to help Namibia upgrade its agricultural production capacity. Agricultural experts from central China's Hubei Province have worked on Namibia's farms and pastures, sharing technologies for dryland farming, crop cultivation, feed production and epidemic prevention and control with local farmers.

The win-win cooperation between China and Namibia stands as a vivid example of mutually beneficial South-South cooperation. Rooted in shared prosperity, their economic cooperation not only delivers tangible livelihood benefits to the Namibian people but also offers a model for China-Africa development under the Belt and Road Initiative.

"The trip will contribute to building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era and the pursuit of the Global South for strength through unity," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said during a press briefing while detailing the upcoming visit.