Namibia's minister of international relations and trade Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, who was attending the fourth China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in the central Chinese city of Changsha, praised China's commitment to a zero-tariff policy towards African countries for promoting unity in the Global South on Thursday.
As the two nations mark 35 years of diplomatic ties, the minister, in an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN), shared her vision for the future of China–Namibia cooperation and the broader impact of China-Africa trade ties on upholding multilateralism.
"Our two countries have come a long way. Namibia and China's relationship goes far before Namibia's independence. We have put economic content to our relationship. Our trade is growing. China is participating in almost all the sectors in our country. At the bilateral level, we have concluded a number of bilateral agreements that are basically bringing out a win-win outcome between our two countries, especially also including at the multilateral level. We are cooperating with China because we believe that South-South cooperation is mutually beneficial for our two countries," she said.
China has maintained its position as Africa's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years. On Wednesday, China announced the expansion of zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent of tariff lines to all 53 African countries that have diplomatic relations with China.
"China is a major player on the global scene, being it in the political, economic, and cultural sphere. We have made milestones in our bilateral cooperation. We thank the Chinese government for the announcement made yesterday that China is going to allow products from Africa to come into the Chinese market, to access the Chinese market with zero tariff. We are in the process of studying the required process because we believe that this will enhance Namibia's market access to this big market. It's a welcome development because we live in a world full of uncertainties and unpredictabilities, a world that is basically a threat to multilateralism," said the minister.
"For Namibia, we believe that when every country has market access, when every country has an opportunity to trade freely, then there will be peace in the world. So we want to commend China for this gesture to the African countries, and I hope that others can follow suit," she said.
The Fourth China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo is being held in Changsha, from June 12 to 15. The expo features exhibitions on sectors including smart mining technology and equipment, clean energy, and modern agricultural machinery, drawing representatives from 53 African countries, 11 international organizations and 27 Chinese provincial-level regions.
Namibian minister lauds China's zero-tariff policy pledge as boost for Global South solidarity
