| |
Extending Friendship Ties
15 April 2008
A high level delegation of the Chinese port city of Wenzhou visited Walvis Bay yesterday, as part of a familiarisation tour of the country. The delegation lead by the vice mayor of Wenzhou, Chong Hongfeng, expressed their interest in establishing economic ties with Walvis Bay. A letter of intent to establish a friendship city relationship was subsequently signed at a special dinner ceremony.
In his address at the ceremony, the mayor of Walvis Bay, Derek Klazen described the fostering of a friendship city relationship as an honour. “This agreement of intent is of great significance as it further emphasises 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 realised 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 would 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 mobilise 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 National Chamber of Commerce, John Savva said that Walvis Bay would certainly 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 delegation 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 and Walvis Bay as an economic gateway to Africa. In their meeting with the various representatives members of the delegation expressed their 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 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.
|
| |
|
|
