CPAFFC Delegation Visits South Africa And Namibia

At the invitation of the South Africa-China Friendship Association (SACFA) and the Erongo Region of Namibia， a CPAFFC delegation led by Vice President Feng Zuoku paid a visit last November.

South Africa， known as the “Rainbow Nation”， is the second largest economy in Africa. China is its largest trade partner， while South Africa is China’s largest regional trading partner. During President Xi Jinping’s state visit to South Africa in 2013， the two countries reached an important consensus on holding the Year of China and the Year of South Africa in each other’s country.

As a result， 2014 was China’s “Year of South Africa”. South Africa held a series of activities in China such as cultural promotions， art exchanges， economic and trade fairs and exhibitions， academic forums and educational exchanges. In turn， 2015 is South Africa’s “Year of China” involving many rich and colorful publicity and exchange activities.

The CPAFFC delegation had a working meeting respectively with Pravin Gordhon， Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs， and the SACFA.

Minister Gordhon gave a briefing on the urban development of his country and hoped South Africa could learn from China’s experience in development so as to narrow the gap between rich and poor and promote integration of different social strata. CPAFFC Vice President Feng Zuoku extended an invitation to Minister Gordhon to lead a delegation to China in 2015 to attend the Second China-Africa Forum on Local Government Cooperation， and at the same time expressed the hope that a dialogue between governors and mayors of China and Southern African Development Community countries would be held in South Africa at a convenient time to boost regional local government cooperation.

So far， South Africa and China have 28 pairs of friendship cities/provinces， ranking first among African countries. To further consolidate the bilateral friendly cooperative relations， Minister Gordhon proposed that South Africa send local government officials to China for two months of study on its experience in governance. He also welcomed China to send local government officials to visit South Africa to jointly explore ways to address all kinds of social challenges.

Witnessed by South African President Jacob Zuma and Chinese President Xi Jinping， the SACFA was established in early 2013 with the aim of boosting economic cooperation and cultural exchanges by carrying out all-dimensional， multi-tiered and wide-ranging people-to-people friendly exchanges. During its stay in South Africa， the delegation and the SACFA discussed holding a “Chinese Characters” exhibition in South Africa and organizing businesspeople of the two countries to participate in the economic and trade forum during President Zuma’s visit to China.

The two sides also enthusiastically discussed how to participate in the Year of China activities in South Africa.

Namibia is known as “strategic metal reserves bank”， and its mining industry is a pillar of the economy. Its diamond production is world famous. It also boasts abundant fishery resources and ranks among the world’s top 10 fish-catching countries.

In Namibia， the delegation paid an official call on Sam Nujoma， founding President of Namibia， and had working meetings respectively with Maj. Gen. Charles Ndaxu Namoloh， Minister of Regional and Local Government， and Housing and Rural Development; Jerry Ekandjo， Minister of Youth， National Service， Sports and Culture; and Cleophas Mutjavikua， Governor of Erongo Region.

Nujoma is an old friend of the Chinese people， having been received by Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai many times in the 1960s. The armed struggle for Namibia’s independence waged by the Southwest Africa People’s Organization under his leadership got aid from China and won victory in 1966.

Later he was elected President of the Republic of Namibia and left office in March 2005. He has visited China 20 times and given his support and assistance for China to set up a space measurement and control station in Namibia. He was also the first state leader to voice his support for China’s bid to hold the World Exposition in Shanghai， which took place in 2010.

The delegation called on Nujoma at his home. Despite his advanced age of 85， he was hale and hearty， with a clear mind and a smile always on his face. His well-trimmed beard and broad brimmed glasses set off his optimism， firmness and wisdom. He recalled the course of friendly exchanges between the two peoples， hoping that one day he would have another chance to visit China and contribute to building a bridge for people-to-people exchange. Feng Zuoku happily invited him to visit China in 2015 at his convenience.

So far， Namibia has established 10 pairs of friendship cities/provinces relations with China， and the exchanges between the local governments of the two countries are quite active. In 2012， when he served as Minister of Regional and Local Government， and Housing and Rural Development， Jerry Ekandjo led a governors and mayors delegation to attend the first China-Africa Forum on Local Government Cooperation. He is now Minister of Youth， National Service， Sports and Culture.

He thanked the CPAFFC for inviting him to visit China in 2012 and hoped to keep contacts with the CPAFFC and organize youth training courses， football， table tennis and boxing matches between the two countries.

Maj. Gen. Charles Ndaxu Namoloh， who once served as Minister of Defense is currently Minister of Regional and Local Government， and Housing and Rural Development， has a deep friendly feeling towards China. He hoped to promote exchanges between local governments and learn China’s managerial experiences in economic development， particularly its advanced practice in land use.

Feng suggested that the two sides hold a friendship-city mayors’ forum to exchange experience and tackle common challenges arising from urban development.

Governor Cleophas Mutjavikua entertained the delegation. Erongo Region is rich in mineral and fishery resources. Bordered by the Atlantic Ocean， it enjoys convenient transportation and has abundant stocks of abalone and oyster. The governor hoped his region would export marine products to the Chinese market， and welcomed China to build textile factory and seal fur processing factory in Erongo. Feng extended an invitation to Mutjavikua to lead a delegation to visit China in 2015.

The delegation’s visit enhanced mutual understanding， promoted contacts between the local governments and boosted economic and trade exchanges between China and the two countries， creating the right climate for expanded cooperation.