Ambassador defends China’s debt record in Namibia

Chinese ambassador to Namibia Zhao Weiping says his country is only owed about 2% of Namibia’s total foreign debt, adding that it is - in fact - Western countries that are responsible for the bulk of African debts.During his mid-term budget review speech last week, finance minister Ipumbu Shiimi confirmed that public debt is expected to increase to N$153.8 billion in the current financial year, equivalent to 66% of the gross domestic product (GDP).Zhao, speaking on The Agenda last Sunday, said his country has not extended a single loan to Namibia for nearly a decade, and its portion of the country’s public debt is a drop in the ocean.In March 2022, some of the 26% of foreign debt was made up of loans from Germany (2%), China (less than 2%), the African Development Bank (33%) and the International Monetary Fund (13%).Namibian projects that benefitted from Chinese loans are the Omakange-Ruacana road (about 60 kilometres), the Engela-Outapi road (about 90km), security scanners at all borders, and an electronic document management system at the Office of the Prime Minister. Zhao said: “Most of Africa’s debts are owed to Western countries and intentional lending institutions. The debt to China accounts for a small percentage. Take Namibia as an example; you haven’t borrowed from China for almost 10 years and the debt owed by Namibia to China only accounts for 2% of your total debt”.“We provide loans to African countries not only for economic development, but also for purposes of helping those countries. We never force any country to borrow from us,” he said.“Equally important is that we never force other countries to repay the debt to China. If you have difficulties paying back the money, we can discuss a kind of arrangement that takes into consideration your difficulties.” ‘It’s not possible’China’s presence in Africa, Namibia included, continues to draw a lot of scrutiny - both from Africans and Western governments, who themselves are in contention for African resources.Zhao rejected accusations that his country was pursuing neo-colonialist policies in Africa. “We would be foolish to want to colonise Africa. In fact, it’s not possible. We don’t impose our political will on other countries.”One of the flagship projects currently being spearheaded by China in Namibia is upgrading the 21km road between Windhoek and the Hosea Kutako International Airport, financed by a grant of more than N$1 billion from that country’s government.Pressed on what the Chinese government expects from Namibia in return, Zhao said: “The only condition attached to that project was that it has to be implemented by a Chinese company. In terms of jobs, there are between 20 and 30 Chinese employees in that project and [about 270] Namibian employees. Sub-contractors in the project are also Namibian entities”.

Ambassador defends China’s debt record in Namibia

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-09

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Ambassador defends China’s debt record in Namibia

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-09

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