Balance trade with China, urges Namundjebo

China’s trade with Namibia has grown at a breathtaking pace, from around US$$1.58 billion (N$15.5 billion) in 2007 to US$6.1 billion (N$59.8 billion) in 2012. This figure, presented yesterday by the Chinese embassy’s economic and commerce counsellor Liu Runing, represents growth of around 286% over the five-year period. Runing was speaking at a business forum in Windhoek for local and Chinese businesses currently visiting Namibia to scout for business and investment opportunities. Although the bilateral trade figure is impressive, Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) President Martha Namundjebo-Tilahun said the trade balance is actually heavily skewed in favour of China, with Namibia primarily exporting primary products. “We would like to see more exports of Namibian products to the Chinese market, including our beef, lamb, fish, seal products, grapes and others,” she said, adding that Namibia needs to aggressively promote itself as a tourism destination for Chinese citizens. “The Chinese market represents the third largest travel market worldwide, closely followed by the US and Germany. The resilience of the Chinese economy has given birth to a middle class with greater purchasing power, which has in turn produced a class of Chinese seeking greater experiences,” the NCCI president told those in attendance. “We must build partnerships which will culminate in increased production capacity, improved infrastructure and the chance to turn resource endowment into development strength and achieve independent and sustainable development,” she said. According to Runing, a total of 36 state-owned Chinese companies currently do business in Namibia, in sectors ranging from construction to engineering, information technology and financial services. In addition, more than 100 Chinese private companies are doing business in Namibia. The 20 delegates currently on visit to Namibia represent companies from China’s Ningbo region, a seaport city in the Zheijiang Province. They are involved in commerce, manufacturing, transport, mining, electronics and investment administration. WINDHOEK DENVER ISAACS