Charles Tjatindi
18 April 2008
Walvis Bay — The Walvis Bay Municipality this week reaffirmed its intention to forge international partnerships through the signing of a partnership agreement with the Chinese port city of Wenzhou.
The signing took place this week at a special ceremony here, hosted in honour of a visiting delegation from the Chinese city.
The delegation which was led by the Chinese city's Vice Mayor, Chong Hongfeng, included high-level government officials and private sector representatives.
The delegation was in the country to identify possible areas of cooperation, and was especially impressed with development at the Namibian harbour town.
They were given a tour of the port facilities, while municipal officials and various stakeholders such as the EPZ, the Walvis Bay Corridor Group, the NCCI and NamPort delivered presentations on their operations, as well as on Walvis Bay as an economic gateway to Africa.
In their meeting with the various representatives, members of the delegation expressed interest in the available mineral resources, the crime rate, labour costs, fish species being caught commercially, the leather industry and the availability of water resources.
The agreement would pave the way for the establishment of economic ties with Walvis Bay, which will benefit the Namibian harbour town. It emphasizes the relationship that exists on a national and bilateral level between the Namibian and Chinese governments, through the enhancement of mutual understanding and friendship.
It is also hoped that the agreement will consolidate and further develop friendly cooperation between the two cities.
Representatives of the two cities also hope that through agreement, each unit will obtain assistance in fields where expertise is hard to come by in their own country, through global partnerships for development as advocated for in the Millennium Development Goals.
In his address at the ceremony, Mayor of Walvis Bay Derek Klazen said: "This agreement of intent is of great significance as it further emphasizes the relationship that exists on a national and bilateral level between our government and the people of China to enhance mutual understanding and friendship.
"We in Walvis Bay certainly believe that we will be more successful when we share our culture, resources and developmental goals with our friends. This can be realized through global partnerships for development as advocated for in the Millennium Development Goals."
The vice mayor of Wenzhou, Chong Hongfeng expressed similar sentiments, noting that a friendship city relationship will be of mutual benefit to Walvis Bay and Wenzhou.
"This friendship will enhance our economies and promote trade between the two cities. We will also mobilize our business community to visit Walvis Bay with the aim of establishing joint ventures and trade relations with your port city."
The Chairperson of the Walvis Bay chapter of the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, John Savva, said Walvis Bay will reap the benefits of being associated with a city such as Wenzhou, in view of the fact that it has a population of more than seven million people compared to the 65 000 inhabitants of Walvis Bay.
He gave a brief overview of the functions of the chamber of commerce, adding that the NCCI welcomes the promotion of business ties with Chinese businesses in Wenzhou.
The people of Wenzhou are renowned for their business sense and the city's commercial culture is more dominant than anywhere else in China, making it the most active and developed private economy on mainland China.
Located in the south-eastern Zhejiang province of China, Wenzhou is a prosperous foreign treaty port, known for its enterprising emigrants who left China to start restaurants, retail and wholesale businesses in Europe and America.
Wenzhou exports food, tea, wine, jute, timber, paper and alunite (a non-metallic mineral used to make alum and fertilizer). Its main industries include food processing, papermaking, low-voltage electric appliances, light industries and building materials, with some engineering works producing mostly farm machinery.
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