The Beijing Dividend

A wrap
The week-long visit focused on deepening economic ties across trade, energy, manufacturing, technology, infrastructure and skills development
Ogone Tlhage
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Namibia's trade with China surged 158% in six years to a record N$40.64 billion, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said, capping a state visit that yielded a clean energy joint venture and a pointed message to Beijing: Namibia wants processing plants, not just port calls.


Nandi-Ndaitwah: Namibia-China trade up 158% in six years


Namibia's trade with China grew 158% over six years, from N$15.75 billion in 2020 to a record N$40.64 billion in 2025, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said, as she concluded a state visit aimed at strengthening political ties, deepening economic cooperation and opening new areas of partnership between the two countries.


Speaking at a media conference in Beijing at the conclusion of the visit last week Thursday, Nandi-Ndaitwah said trade between the two countries had already reached N$14.79 billion in the first four months of 2026.


The visit, which ran from 6 to 10 July, covered trade, investment, agriculture, energy, technology, infrastructure and skills development, and produced two concrete outcomes: a clean energy joint venture and a fully funded training programme for Namibian tax officials.


Market access and value addition


Nandi-Ndaitwah welcomed China's Belt and Road Initiative and its zero-tariff policy for African exports, saying the latter gave African countries, including Namibia, greater access to one of the world's largest markets. However, she said market access alone was not enough.

"Namibia needs to strengthen production capacity and enhance value addition in order to take advantage of such opportunity," she said.


Namibia's location, modern ports and transport corridors positioned the country as a natural gateway to the southern African region, Nandi-Ndaitwah said.

She called for China and African countries to work together in advocating for multilateralism and the reform of international institutions, saying the two sides shared an interest in a rules-based international system that was more representative and equitable.


Deals signed during the visit


Nandi-Ndaitwah witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Namibia's Okaparwa Investment CC and China's Sany Energy Equipment Co Ltd, establishing a joint venture in clean energy and the oil and gas sector, the Namibian Presidency said. The agreement places emphasis on value addition, natural resource beneficiation, technology transfer, skills development and local manufacturing capacity in Namibia, with the partnership aimed at supporting sustainable industrialisation, attracting investment and creating jobs in line with the development priorities of the Eighth Administration.


Strengthening tax administration


Separately, Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) commissioner Sam Shivute met CSSCA president Junfeng Qin and senior leadership from the joint venture team behind the Integrated Tax Administration System (ITAS), with talks centred on ways to stabilise and strengthen the system's performance. Qin said CSSCA would provide fully funded training for 15 NamRA officials in 2026 as part of the deepening partnership between the two institutions. Shivute was accompanied by Benedict Likando, Jimmy Namutenya and Mulemwa Kawana.


Three decades of relations


Namibia and China established diplomatic relations in 1990, upgrading their partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic and Cooperative Partnership in 2018. Nandi-Ndaitwah said China had supported Namibia's liberation struggle and had since contributed to the country's development in infrastructure, education, health and human resources, including through scholarships for Namibian students.


She said Namibia could draw lessons from China's experience in industrialisation, agricultural productivity and skills development, while stressing that Namibia's development path had to be its own.


Diplomatic wrap-up


Ahead of the Beijing leg of the visit, Nandi-Ndaitwah held engagements with provincial and business leaders in Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Chengdu, touring industrial, technology and agricultural institutions.

She urged Namibian and Chinese media to continue telling the story of the two countries' relationship from their own perspective.

"If you want to go fast, go alone, and if you want to go far, go together," Nandi-Ndaitwah said. She said this reflected the spirit in which Namibia viewed the future of China-Africa relations.