Namibian President Netumbo Nandi‑Ndaitwah pledged deeper economic cooperation with China on Thursday, saying strengthened ties will deliver tangible results for her country’s development.
Delivering a keynote speech at a news conference in Beijing, the president highlighted the traditional friendship between the two countries and even stronger cooperation ahead.
"Namibia and China share a long history of friendship built on solidarity, mutual respect and support during important periods of our respective histories," said Nandi-Ndaitwah.
Beijing is the third leg of Nandi-Ndaitwah's seven-day state visit to China. Earlier she was in the southern province of Guangdong and the southwestern province of Sichuan, where discussions covered trade and investment, renewable energy, digital innovation, science and technology.
During the news briefing, she shared her impressions of China’s Guangdong Province and her expectations for the development of bilateral relations.
"The impression, first, very historic stories, information were given to me. For example, Shenzhen, we were told that 45 years ago it was just a fishing village. But today it is one of the shining cities in China. Now about FOCAC, FOCAC is an inter-continental program, or I can say it's a multilateral program, which is continental-based between Africa and China," said Nandi-Ndaitwah.
Namibian president pledges stronger economic ties with China
The 2026 Qixi Festival Gala, produced by China Media Group (CMG), got underway at 20:00 Beijing Time on Wednesday, marking the annual celebration of one of China's oldest and most cherished traditional festivals.
The Qixi Festival, also referred to as the Chinese Valentine's Day, falls on the seventh day of the seventh month on the Chinese lunar calendar. It dates back more than 2,000 years and was inscribed on China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006.
The festival's enduring romantic association stems from the legends of the cowherd Niulang and the weaver girl Zhinyu, star-crossed lovers separated by the Milky Way who are permitted to meet only once a year when a flock of magpies forms a bridge across the heavens.
In ancient China, young women celebrate the festival by praying to Zhinyu for clever hands and domestic talents. Today, couples usually spend the day by exchanging gifts and many partners choose this auspicious date to register their marriages or hold collective traditional weddings.
This year's gala centered on the motif of a bridge, linking ancient myth with contemporary life.
A travelogue performance themed around the mythological bridge ran through the entire event, which featured songs, dances, traditional operas and ballet.
A highlight of the gala was a micro-film which explores shared Qixi customs between people from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.
Among the evening's touching highlights was a short film featuring the enduring romance of 88-year-old Chinese radar technology expert Ben De, recipient of China's 2026 State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, and his wife. The award is the nation's highest honor for scientific and technological achievement.
This year's gala centered on co-creation, featuring segments with real couples from across the country to jointly celebrate the millennia-old traditions through contemporary expressions of love.
CMG airs special TV gala to celebrate China's 2,000-year-old love festival
