Why China backs Namibia’s nuclear fuel rod production

China is backing Namibia’s bid to move beyond raw material exports by supporting the domestic processing of critical minerals and uranium. In a joint communique issued on Friday following talks in Beijing between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his counterpart Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, China pledged to h

South China Morning Post

22-е квітня 2026 р.

2 хв читання

0 переглядів

Why China backs Namibia’s nuclear fuel rod production

China is backing Namibia’s bid to move beyond raw material exports by supporting the domestic processing of critical minerals and uranium.

In a joint communique issued on Friday following talks in Beijing between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his counterpart Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, China pledged to help transform Namibia’s natural resources into higher-value products through domestic processing and downstream cooperation.

Namibia has exported unprocessed minerals for decades. It is now seeking Chinese investment to process lithium, cobalt and uranium, a key fuel for nuclear energy reactors.

16:09

How China is reshaping its economic ties with Africa

In 2023, Namibia followed Zimbabwe in banning the export of unprocessed lithium and other critical elements, aiming to capture more value from the mineral supply chain.

With Beijing’s support, Namibia aims to improve its industrialisation and local processing capacity to “promote Namibia’s further integration into the global value chain”, especially in new energy, green hydrogen, oil and gas, mining and infrastructure, according to the joint statement.

“Cooperation between China and Namibia is of great significance for increasing the added value of key mineral resources, including uranium,” the joint statement noted, with Namibia inviting Chinese firms to invest and do business in the country to jointly promote the smooth development of major economic cooperation projects.

Aly-Khan Satchu, a sub-Saharan African geoeconomic analyst, said “beneficiation has been an age-old cry since the time of Kwame Nkrumah”, referring to the founding father and first president of Ghana.

Satchu said that as the United States behaved like a hegemon and seized resources, as seen in Venezuela and probably Cuba, “China is playing a much smarter 21st-century game”.

Оригінальне джерело

South China Morning Post

Поділитися статтею

Схожі статті

South Korean fighter jets collided due to pilots snapping pictures, report finds

🇨🇳🇹🇼China vs Taiwan

BBC News - Asia

South Korean fighter jets collided due to pilots snapping pictures, report finds

One of the pilots has been fined thousands of dollars by the military to cover repair costs.

близько 3 годин тому•3 min

World's biggest condom maker set to raise prices due to Iran war

🇨🇳🇹🇼China vs Taiwan

BBC News - Asia

World's biggest condom maker set to raise prices due to Iran war

Malaysia-based Karex produces more than five billion condoms a year and supplies global brands like Durex and Trojan.

близько 4 годин тому•3 min

Taiwan president cancels trip after African countries revoke flight permits

🇨🇳🇹🇼China vs Taiwan

BBC News - Asia

Taiwan president cancels trip after African countries revoke flight permits

Taiwan has accused Beijing of putting pressure on African countries to close their airspace.

близько 5 годин тому•3 min

China’s ‘landmark’ drug pricing guidelines widen biotech profit window: analysts

🇨🇳🇹🇼China vs Taiwan

South China Morning Post

China’s ‘landmark’ drug pricing guidelines widen biotech profit window: analysts

The State Council, China’s cabinet, has published guidelines on innovative drug pricing that a bank analyst has described as the “most significant” in a decade, as they aim to reward drug innovation and ease pricing tension for domestic and multinational pharmaceutical companies. The framework docum

близько 6 годин тому•1 min