Namibian president's China visit set to break new ground for the Global South

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is on a week-long state visit to China. This marks her first visit to the country since taking office as Namibia's president in March 2025.

During their meeting on Friday, Xi and Nandi-Ndaitwah jointly announced the elevation of bilateral relations to a China-Namibia community with a shared future for the new era. They also witnessed the signing of multiple cooperation documents in areas such as economy and trade, healthcare, education and human resources.

President Nandi-Ndaitwah led a cross-sectoral delegation for the China visit, covering economic, trade, cultural, technological and livelihood fields. During the talks, President Xi stressed that China stands ready to deepen cooperation with Namibia in infrastructure, energy, mining, agriculture, education, youth exchanges, and science and technology, among other key areas.

President Xi also put forward a three-point proposal for advancing bilateral ties: strengthening exchanges on governance experience, tapping potential for high-quality cooperation and jointly safeguarding international fairness and justice.

Su Xiaohui, director of the Department for Developing Countries Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, noted that the visit opens up new development opportunities for both developing countries and Chinese enterprises engaging in Africa.

Cooperation improves well-being

Located in southwestern Africa, Namibia features a desert-dominated terrain and a population of over 3 million. Having gained independence in 1990, it is one of Africa's youngest sovereign states. Thanks to its long-term political stability and sound governance, Namibia has created a favorable business environment and formulated comprehensive development strategies to improve people's livelihoods.

During her China tour, Nandi-Ndaitwah paid a visit to Shenzhen, a southern Chinese city that has transformed from a small fishing village into a global technological hub. Namibia has its own "Shenzhen": Walvis Bay.

Walvis Bay Port was once a small fishing village relying on household fishing businesses. Since 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative has brought Chinese enterprises and development concepts to the region. Chinese builders leveraged professional expertise, overcame complex geological challenges and upgraded the port's infrastructure. Today, the bay has become a pivotal regional logistics hub capable of handling container and oil shipment operations on par with leading African ports.

The infrastructure upgrade has boosted the transformation of local traditional fishing industries into large-scale commercial operations. Meanwhile, Chinese investors have promoted technology and knowledge transfer, empowering local fishermen to develop modern aquaculture industries.

The development story of Walvis Bay Port serves as a microcosm of Chinese enterprises' efforts to solve local development bottlenecks and fulfill social responsibilities. As President Xi highlighted the importance of experience sharing, China's cooperation philosophy has been fully embodied in a host of successful projects.

For example, China has assisted Namibia in building desalination facilities to meet the water demand of its mining industry. Chinese projects have not only created local jobs but also provided skills training to help local people achieve self-development and self-reliance. The two countries' emerging clean energy cooperation is also set to bridge Namibia's power supply gap and boost green development.

Su pointed out that experience exchanges between developing countries are of lasting significance, helping countries like Namibia advance poverty alleviation and narrow the wealth gap.

New paradigm for South-South cooperation

On May 1 this year, China expanded its zero-tariff policy to cover all 53 African countries with diplomatic ties with China. The preferential trade policy, rolled out against the backdrop of rising global protectionism and unilateralism, has won wide recognition across the African continent.

Namibian industry observers believe the policy creates opportunities for the country to diversify its export structure, breaking its traditional reliance on resource exports and expanding agricultural product exports to the Chinese market.

During the bilateral talks, President Xi encouraged Namibia to fully leverage China's zero-tariff treatment and other preferential policies.

David Monyae, a China-Africa studies specialist at the University of Johannesburg, said the broad market access offered by China will drive Namibia to upgrade product quality and core competitiveness.

President Xi also unveiled new prospects for China-Namibia mining cooperation, emphasizing adherence to the principles of mutual benefit, win-win results and friendly consultation to break new ground for in-depth industrial cooperation.

Monyae added that with Chinese technology and expertise, Namibia will be able to expand local employment and realize industrial upgrading, shifting from exporting raw materials to high value-added finished products.

Prospects for Global South development

President Xi stressed that China and Namibia share profound traditional friendship and common aspirations for development, laying a solid foundation for deepening bilateral cooperation.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1990, China has offered long-term assistance and support to Namibia, including material donations and the construction of government office buildings, hospitals and schools. China has also participated in landmark local projects such as the Husab uranium mine and Walvis Bay Port.

Against the backdrop of escalating global challenges and complex international dynamics, solidarity and cooperation among Global South countries have become more crucial than ever.

President Xi noted that the two sides should strengthen solidarity and coordination to uphold multilateralism. President Nandi-Ndaitwah echoed the sentiment, commending China's assistance to African countries and its upholding of justice in international and regional affairs. She said that Namibia will further strengthen communication and coordination with China to safeguard the common interests of developing countries and jointly build a community with a shared future for humanity.

Su said the elevation of China-Namibia bilateral relations signals that the Global South has more opportunities and a stronger voice in the international arena.