Chinese State Councilor Liu Yandong Holds Talks with Deputy Prime Minister of Namibia

By China - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

BEIJING, China, December 2, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- On November 29, 2011, Chinese State Councilor Liu Yandong who was visiting Namibia held talks with Deputy Prime Minister of Namibia Marco Hausiku in Windhoek.

Liu said that China appreciates Namibia's consistently valuable support on issues involving China's core and major interest. In recent years, the two countries have expanded pragmatic cooperation in the fields of agriculture, mining and human resources training. Programs under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) move on steadily. Exchanges and cooperation in the cultural, educational and technology fields develop dynamically and have achieved fruitful results.

Liu pointed out that China and Namibia enjoy great potential of cultural exchanges. She hopes the two sides continue to tap the cooperation potential and push forward the bilateral cultural exchanges. She suggests strengthening exchanges between cultural organizations and professionals, promoting various forms of cultural exchange activities and supporting art groups of both sides to carry out exchanges in the cultural sector. China supports universities of both countries to deepen cooperation and attaches importance to cooperating with Namibia on Chinese teaching. China is willing to conduct science and technology cooperation with Namibia actively under the framework of China-Africa Science and Technology Partnership Program and welcomes the participation of Namibian research institutes and researchers in the Program.

She noted that to strengthen cultural exchanges between China and Africa is a major pillar of China-Africa new type of strategic partnership. China expects to make joint efforts with African countries to promote cultural exchanges at multiple levels, through multiple channels and in multiple forms, deepen mutual understanding and trust and lay down a solid social foundation for the sustainable and healthy development of bilateral relations.

Hausiku said that the eight initiatives announced by China at the fourth ministerial meeting of FOCAC help not only promote China-Africa pragmatic cooperation and Africa's economic and social development but also further consolidate the bilateral strategic partnership. Namibia has benefited a lot from the initiatives. To deepen cultural cooperation is an important part of Namibia-China relations. He hopes the two sides make special efforts to reinforce cooperation on culture, art and education, cultural industry and in the fields of art development and information technology.

Following the talks, Liu and Hausiku jointly attended the signing ceremony of the Economic and Technological Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Namibia and other cooperation documents.