Top legislator reinforces Namibia ties

Li Zhanshu meets with top officials in third, final nation on his Africa itinerary

Top legislator Li Zhanshu made an official visit to Namibia from Tuesday to Thursday at the invitation of Peter Katjavivi, speaker of the Namibian National Assembly, and called for closer cooperation between the two countries.

In the capital, Windhoek, Li, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, met with Namibian President Hage Geingob and former president Sam Nujoma. He also held talks with Katjavivi and Margaret Mensah-Williams, chairwoman of the Namibian National Council.

Li conveyed President Xi Jinping's sincere greetings to Geingob and briefed him on China's historic achievements since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China as well as the formation, content and significance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

Li said Geingob's visit to China in March has opened a new era for China-Namibia relations. During the visit, the two presidents decided to elevate ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation.

Li voiced China's hope that the two sides will work together to step up communication on policy and alignment of development plans within the Belt and Road Initiative and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and boost cooperation on infrastructure construction and industrial capacity to better benefit the people of the two countries.

The top legislator said China appreciates Namibia's push to safeguard the unity of Africa and stands ready to enhance communication and coordination with Namibia in international and regional affairs.

Li expounded China's principles and stance on some world hot-spot issues and provided details of Xi's efforts to alleviate tensions and help realize denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Referring to the vision of a community with a shared future for humanity, Li said all countries are interdependent against the backdrop of globalization, and that they should treat each other equally and work together to safeguard peace and development and address common challenges.

China is willing to work with Namibia to continuously release new vigor of the friendship forged by the elder generation of leaders of the two countries, and China will support and assist Namibia and other African countries in their push for developing their economies and improving people's livelihood along a path suitable for their own national conditions, Li said. This is with a view to realizing the rise of Africa, a historical development miracle, he said.

Geingob said Namibia and China not only enjoy deep traditional friendship, but also treat each other as equal partners.

Namibian people are clear that China is a true friend and good partner, the president said, noting that Namibia looks forward to maintaining close, high-level interactions and boosting practical cooperation on trade and investment, infrastructure construction and exploitation of energy resources to ensure the road of the-comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation will get broader and broader.

When meeting with Nujoma, Li extended Xi's greetings to the founding father of Namibia. The top legislator spoke highly of Nujoma's consistent commitment to Namibia-China friendship as a senior statesman in Africa.

Recalling his friendly interactions with Chinese leaders, Nujoma said the brotherly friendship has remained unshakable and become even firmer as time goes by.

During talks with Katjavivi and Mensah-Williams, Li briefed them on the people's congress system in China.

Li said the system combines the upholding of the CPC's leadership, ensuring that the people are the master of the country and ruling the country by law. It fits well China's national conditions, he said.

Li said cooperation between the legislatures of the two countries should be first and foremost focused on implementing the important consensus reached by the heads of state, creating favorable legal environments for practical cooperation including trade and investment, increasing experience sharing in governance and advancing subnational cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, especially those among youth and women, to lay a solid social foundation for bilateral friendship.

Katjavivi and Mensah-Williams expressed gratitude for China's support for Namibia's independence. They told Li that Namibia is willing to further enhance friendly interactions with the NPC at various levels in line with the memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries' legislatures to help advance bilateral relations.

In Windhoek, Li visited patients who have undergone cataract surgery in Brightness Journey campaigns, as well as Chinese and Namibian medical workers who are part of the campaign.

He said the removal of medical gauze from the patients' eyes embodies the deeply rooted friendship between the two nations and epitomizes China's medical assistance to Africa.

The top legislator encouraged the Chinese medical team to help the local people benefit substantially from medical cooperation between the two countries.

Li also witnessed the delivery of aid materials on wildlife protection to Namibia and visited the control and command center of Telecom Namibia.

Namibia was the last stop of Li's three-nation trip to Africa, after visits to Ethiopia and Mozambique.