China’s ambassador to Namibia defends his country’s African policy

Only 2% of Namibia’s total external debt is owed to China, and Western countries are responsible for the majority of Africa’s debts, said the Chinese ambassador to Namibia, Zhao Weiping, writes the Namibian newspaper on November 10. Sun.

Earlier, during his mid-term budget review speech, Namibia’s Finance Minister Ipumbu Shiimi said the country’s public debt in the current financial year will rise to N$153.8 billion, N$761 billion of rubles), equivalent to 66% of gross domestic product (GDP).

Zhao, speaking on the “Agenda” radio show last Sunday, said China has not extended a single loan to Namibia for almost a decade, and that China’s share of Namibia’s public debt is a drop in the ocean.

The Namibian projects financed by Chinese loans are the Omakange-Ruacana highway (about 60 km), the Engela-Utapi highway (about 90 km), security scanners at all borders and an electronic document management system at the Office of the Prime Minister.

Zhao stated: “Most of Africa’s debt is owed to Western countries and international lending institutions. The debt to China is a small percentage. Take Namibia as an example: it has not borrowed from China for almost 10 years, and Namibia’s debt to China is only 2% of its total debt.”.

“We provide loans to African countries not only for economic development, but also to provide them with assistance. We never force any country to ask us for loans., he emphasized. — What is equally important is that we never force other countries to pay their debt to China. If you are having difficulty getting your money back, we can negotiate an agreement that takes your difficulties into account.”.

China’s presence in Africa, including Namibia, continues to attract intense scrutiny, both from Africans and Western governments competing for African resources.

Zhao rejected accusations that his country is pursuing neocolonialist policies in Africa: “It would be foolish to want to colonize Africa. In fact, this is impossible. “We do not impose our political will on other countries.”.

One of the flagship projects currently led by China in Namibia is the upgrading of the 21-kilometer road between Windhoek and Hosea Kutako International Airport, funded by a grant of more than 1 billion Namibian dollars (4.95 billion rubles) from the government. from Namibia. .

Speaking about what the Chinese government expects in return from Namibia, Zhao said: “The only condition for this project was that it be carried out by a Chinese company. In terms of employment, the project employs between 20 and 30 Chinese and around 270 Namibian employees. The subcontractors for the project are also Namibian companies.”

It should be noted that local construction companies in Namibia are offended by the government because tenders for the modernization of old roads or the construction of new roads in the country are mainly going to Chinese companies.

Source: Rossa Primavera