FOCAC: Win-win balance needed
China says it wants to help Namibia with wildlife protection and fighting desertification.
International relations minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said Namibians should familiarise themselves with the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and continue to follow developments around this forum because it “concerns our bi-lateral cooperation with China and as such its impact on our livelihood”.
The China-Africa forum is one of eight partnerships between the African Union and development partners, but China has become a much bigger economic player on the African continent than others.
In terms of its bilateral relations with Namibia, China is one of the top three. It has also surpassed South Africa in terms of trade with Namibia.
And yet, Namibians and Namibian companies find it difficult to strike a healthy balance between Chinese interests and national interests here.
Ned Sibeya, director for development partner coordination at the National Planning Commission (NPC), acknowledges that there have been “challenges” in how programmes and projects sponsored by China have been managed in the past.
He says the two governments have now agreed to “localise” the tendering system.
“That means that we encourage the Chinese government to ensure that the Chinese companies that participate in China-funded projects in Namibia must be only those already registered here. That of course includes Namibian companies and other foreign nationals.”
In terms of materials for these projects, he said it was agreed that the procurement of locally produced materials must be a priority.
“In terms of projects awarded to Chinese companies, we will require the joint venturing of Namibian companies, or not contracting to the value of 30% of the project amount,” Sibeya says.
Nust's director of international relations, Dr Marius Kudumo, says Namibia and other African countries should not blame China or other international partners if the outcomes of engagement do not yield a win-win situation.
“They [China and other countries] are very clear about their strategies in terms of interaction with Africa and what they are supposed to get out of that,” Kudumo said.
A fundamental consideration for Africans is whether the economic and political imbalance between China and African states can in fact produce a win-win outcome, or not, and what conditions can bring about such a scenario.
“When we talk of China-African cooperation and its impact, we need to ask ourselves to what extent is it contributing to expanding the choices of people, to what extent it is contributing to human development and a better life,” Kudumo said.
He added: “We need to clearly define what our national interests and priorities are.
We need to be proactive rather than reactive in our international relations engagement. If we are reactive we will take what is given to us while perhaps not taking our best interests into account.”
China bounding on
China is moving with leaps and bounds to enlarge its footprint on the continent while Namibia and the rest of Africa may still struggle to navigate how best to benefit from this cooperation.
The charge d'affaires of the Chinese embassy in Namibia, Yang Yun, says more impetus is being injected into Namibia-China relations following the FOCAC meeting in Beijing last year.
He says China “stands ready” to provide agricultural assistance and technology by sending agricultural experts, to support in the construction of major infrastructure projects, implement environmental cooperation such as desalination, wildlife protection, desertification prevention and control, and enhance development experiences.
Yun said under the FOCAC framework the two countries have agreed for more Chinese medical teams to come to Namibia and the assistance to vulnerable groups.
China intends to promote the development of Confucius institutions here and explore the building of a Chinese cultural centre.
Yun said China intends to strengthen security cooperation and support the construction of a “safe city” and strengthen training for law enforcement personnel.
CATHERINE SASMAN
The China-Africa forum is one of eight partnerships between the African Union and development partners, but China has become a much bigger economic player on the African continent than others.
In terms of its bilateral relations with Namibia, China is one of the top three. It has also surpassed South Africa in terms of trade with Namibia.
And yet, Namibians and Namibian companies find it difficult to strike a healthy balance between Chinese interests and national interests here.
Ned Sibeya, director for development partner coordination at the National Planning Commission (NPC), acknowledges that there have been “challenges” in how programmes and projects sponsored by China have been managed in the past.
He says the two governments have now agreed to “localise” the tendering system.
“That means that we encourage the Chinese government to ensure that the Chinese companies that participate in China-funded projects in Namibia must be only those already registered here. That of course includes Namibian companies and other foreign nationals.”
In terms of materials for these projects, he said it was agreed that the procurement of locally produced materials must be a priority.
“In terms of projects awarded to Chinese companies, we will require the joint venturing of Namibian companies, or not contracting to the value of 30% of the project amount,” Sibeya says.
Nust's director of international relations, Dr Marius Kudumo, says Namibia and other African countries should not blame China or other international partners if the outcomes of engagement do not yield a win-win situation.
“They [China and other countries] are very clear about their strategies in terms of interaction with Africa and what they are supposed to get out of that,” Kudumo said.
A fundamental consideration for Africans is whether the economic and political imbalance between China and African states can in fact produce a win-win outcome, or not, and what conditions can bring about such a scenario.
“When we talk of China-African cooperation and its impact, we need to ask ourselves to what extent is it contributing to expanding the choices of people, to what extent it is contributing to human development and a better life,” Kudumo said.
He added: “We need to clearly define what our national interests and priorities are.
We need to be proactive rather than reactive in our international relations engagement. If we are reactive we will take what is given to us while perhaps not taking our best interests into account.”
China bounding on
China is moving with leaps and bounds to enlarge its footprint on the continent while Namibia and the rest of Africa may still struggle to navigate how best to benefit from this cooperation.
The charge d'affaires of the Chinese embassy in Namibia, Yang Yun, says more impetus is being injected into Namibia-China relations following the FOCAC meeting in Beijing last year.
He says China “stands ready” to provide agricultural assistance and technology by sending agricultural experts, to support in the construction of major infrastructure projects, implement environmental cooperation such as desalination, wildlife protection, desertification prevention and control, and enhance development experiences.
Yun said under the FOCAC framework the two countries have agreed for more Chinese medical teams to come to Namibia and the assistance to vulnerable groups.
China intends to promote the development of Confucius institutions here and explore the building of a Chinese cultural centre.
Yun said China intends to strengthen security cooperation and support the construction of a “safe city” and strengthen training for law enforcement personnel.
CATHERINE SASMAN
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