'Don’t lecture us about China'
SADC will take on good deals that are beneficial to the region, the president says.
No one should lecture leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) on how China could recolonise Africa, president Hage Geingob has said.
He was speaking during a meeting with a Communist Party of China delegation at State House on Thursday.
“We are being warned as if we are small children. That is sickening,” said Geingob, who is also SADC chairperson.
He further said the region fought for its freedom and sacrificed lives and thus cannot exchange its freedom for another form of colonialism.
He also added that China has never colonised Africa before.
“We enter into agreements that will be beneficial to our people and to China. We are not children to be lectured on who to talk to and not to talk to,” Geingob said.
He emphasised that for SADC’s infrastructural development, it will take on good deals that are beneficial to the region.
“If it comes from China we will take it, but nobody can say because we are doing that we are therefore going to be colonised by China or anybody,” he said.
Xi Jinping
Geingob also stated that he has already met with China’s president Xi Jinping five times on equal terms.
“When we had the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) meetings, he was standing there to receive each and every president. I want to challenge others to do the same - to show the same respect to African leaders. I don’t see it, so nobody should lecture us about China and what China will do to us. We know, we have been working with China for a long time,” he stressed.
Overall, the SADC chairperson said, the region is very happy and is trying to pull together to bring about the free movement of people and goods.
“So we are also talking about those 300 million people of Southern Africa when we say SADC is a friend of China. We are looking forward to having infrastructure development,” Geingob said.
The aim of the visit, according to Bayin Chaolu who is a member of the CPC’s central committee, was to fully implement the consensus discussed by his party and Swapo during last year’s FOCAC meeting. - Nampa
He was speaking during a meeting with a Communist Party of China delegation at State House on Thursday.
“We are being warned as if we are small children. That is sickening,” said Geingob, who is also SADC chairperson.
He further said the region fought for its freedom and sacrificed lives and thus cannot exchange its freedom for another form of colonialism.
He also added that China has never colonised Africa before.
“We enter into agreements that will be beneficial to our people and to China. We are not children to be lectured on who to talk to and not to talk to,” Geingob said.
He emphasised that for SADC’s infrastructural development, it will take on good deals that are beneficial to the region.
“If it comes from China we will take it, but nobody can say because we are doing that we are therefore going to be colonised by China or anybody,” he said.
Xi Jinping
Geingob also stated that he has already met with China’s president Xi Jinping five times on equal terms.
“When we had the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) meetings, he was standing there to receive each and every president. I want to challenge others to do the same - to show the same respect to African leaders. I don’t see it, so nobody should lecture us about China and what China will do to us. We know, we have been working with China for a long time,” he stressed.
Overall, the SADC chairperson said, the region is very happy and is trying to pull together to bring about the free movement of people and goods.
“So we are also talking about those 300 million people of Southern Africa when we say SADC is a friend of China. We are looking forward to having infrastructure development,” Geingob said.
The aim of the visit, according to Bayin Chaolu who is a member of the CPC’s central committee, was to fully implement the consensus discussed by his party and Swapo during last year’s FOCAC meeting. - Nampa
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