Namibia's Minister of International Relations and Trade Selma Ashipala-Musavyi has hailed China's zero-tariff policy for African nations as a catalyst for deeper bilateral cooperation.
In a recent interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Selma Ashipala-Musavyi outlined the multifaceted benefits of China's landmark trade initiative for her country and the broader African continent.
"You know, first I need to express Namibia's thanks and appreciation to the government of the People's Republic of China. This to Namibia is going to benefit manifold. First, it will build confidence between our two countries and also our two private sectors because non-tariff measures are a confidence building measure," she said.
Beyond fostering trust, the minister highlighted the policy's potential to drive structural economic transformation in Namibia and the broader African region by unlocking greater access to one of the world's largest consumer markets.
"No. 2 I think it will generate industrialization and optimizing and enhance it in order for us to gain more access to the Chinese market. I think it will accelerate the industrialization process in our country and also Africa in general," she added.
Starting from May 1, China has expanded its zero-tariff treatment to cover all 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic ties. The country has already scrapped tariffs on 100 percent of tariff lines for 33 least developed countries (LDCs) in Africa since Dec 1, 2024.
2026 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and African nations. Over the decades, the friendship has been passed down from generation to generation, and bilateral ties have achieved leapfrog development.
China's zero-tariff policy for Africa opens up great collaboration opportunities: Namibian minister
The crew of China's Shenzhou-21 space mission have brought back a trove of valuable scientific samples, including highly anticipated artificial embryo samples, for further research into the effects of the space environment on human development.
The three astronauts of China's Shenzhou-21 mission returned to Earth safely on Friday evening aboard the Shenzhou-22 crewed spaceship, wrapping up a 210-day stay in orbit that set a new record for the longest single-crew mission aboard China's space station.
The trio consisting of Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang are all in good health, said the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), noting that the Shenzhou-21 spaceflight mission is a complete success.
At 19:20 (Beijing Time), the Beijing Aerospace Control Center issued a return command via the ground station, and in response the orbital capsule of the Shenzhou-22 spaceship separated from the return capsule.
The brake engine then ignited, and the return capsule separated from the propulsion capsule. The return capsule touched down at 20:11 at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the CMSA said, while by 20:59, the Shenzhou-21 crew had all left the return capsule.
Wu Bin, an expert in charge of astronaut training with the China Astronaut Research and Training Center, explained how the three astronauts would be taken care of subsequently, especially how the project on gravity readaptation would be carried out given that they had been in orbit for almost seven months.
"After returning, we began gravity readaptation for the astronauts inside the capsule, including some health checks to facilitate their recovery. Once inside the medical and health supervision vehicle, nearly 30 procedures across nine categories are carried out to help the astronauts readapt to gravity and promote body recovery. In addition, a relatively systematic and comprehensive physical health examination will be conducted. Sampling for microorganisms and others will also be carried out there. The astronauts will have a meal inside the vehicle. Once they are in the appropriate condition, they will be transported via helicopter for further transfer," said Wu. The Shenzhou-21 crew achieved new results in an array of scientific experiments and technological tests covering microgravity fundamental physics, space material science, space life sciences, aerospace medicine and new space technologies.
"This time, the samples brought back by the Shenzhou-22 spaceship include biological materials and experimental samples from the combustion field. They involve a total of 23 scientific experiment projects, weighing approximately 41.14 kilograms -- every kilogram of them is truly precious. What we need to recover on site are the biological samples from nine projects in the life sciences field," said Sun Zhongjian, engineer at the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
"Among the samples we have brought back this time are the artificial embryo samples that have drawn a great deal of public attention. The astronauts have already recovered biological samples that are active and morphologically stable. After returning to Earth, these samples will undergo further biological analyses. Through these analyses, we will study the effects of the space environment on the post-implantation development of human embryos, which will also lay the groundwork for future research on human embryonic growth in the space environment," Sun said.
Shenzhou-21 astronauts return to Earth with critical scientific samples
