Christopher Eita joined the International Relations Division of Windhoek Municipal Government in 2008 and is now the head of the division. He has witnessed the development of sister city relations between Windhoek and Nanjing since 2015.
From 2015 to 2017, Nanjing sent three delegations to Namibia and visited Windhoek municipal government. Eita was deeply impressed by the visits. In April 2015, the Ministry of Culture of China, the Chinese Embassy in Namibia and Nanjing Municipal Government jointly hosted the Celebration for the 25th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and Namibia and the "Namibia-Nanjing Night" Performance at the National Theatre of Namibia, during which Nanjing Little Red Flower Art Troupe presented a wonderful performance. In June 2016, the two cities further implemented the plan on cooperation, and held the Solar Energy Products Donation Ceremony and the Unveiling Ceremony of "Famous Cities Hand in Hand and 'Focus on Africa' Nanjing Painter's Works Exhibition" in Namibia. In March 2017, Nanjing and Namibia further discussed cooperation on fields including economy, trade and education, and held the Nanjing-Namibia Friendly Donation Ceremony of Table Tennis Tables. Nanjing donated 10 domestic table tennis tables of international competition standard to Namibian Table Tennis Association.
Friendship, which derives from close contact between the people, holds the key to sound state-to-state relations. Since the establishment of sister city relations, the two cities have continuously deepened cooperation in art, sports and youth exchanges. "With the help and guidance from Nanjing, the technique of table tennis players in our city has been greatly improved." Eita introduced that in August 2016, Mr. Hansen Ramon, Chairman of Namibian Table Tennis Association, led a 12-member delegation from Namibian Table Tennis Association to Nanjing for a two-week table tennis training in Nanjing Sports School.
Nanjing has put into practice the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind and has been offering a helping hand to its sister cities with concrete actions. In the early days of the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020, Namibia launched its emergency response to Covid-19 by issuing a national decree to combat the epidemic. "Nanjing was the first sister city to respond to Windhoek's Covid-19 response, and donated 30,000 masks to our city." Eita expressed gratitude and said that the supplies had made huge contributions to reducing the number of Covid-19 cases in workplaces and communities in Windhoek." In addition to the supplies donated during the Covid-19 epidemic, Nanjing also donated two batches of solar equipment to vulnerable groups in informal residential areas of Windhoek in 2015 and 2016, and donated 300,000 Namibian dollar (about $10,000) to Windhoek Highline High School," Eita added.
Eita looks forward to visiting Nanjing again after the epidemic and invites the Nanjing delegation to visit Windhoek. "I believe that with the joint efforts of both sides, the two cities will become a model of sister cities in terms of friendly exchanges and strategic cooperation along the Belt and Road, adding momentum to China-Namibia friendship."
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Windhoek is the capital of Namibia, as well as the political, economic and cultural center and transportation hub of the country. It is the largest city in Namibia and is known as the cleanest garden capital in Africa.
Nanjing and Windhoek started friendly exchanges in 2014 and established sister city relations in 2015, and carried out a series of practical cooperation projects in fields including art, sports and youth exchange.
