FRIENDS FOREVER

Samuel Daniel Shafiishuna Nujoma， former President of Namibia， discussed how he views the Communist Party of China （CPC） as well as China-Namibia ties in an interview with Beijing Review. This is an edited version of the interview：

Beijing Review： 2021 marks the centenary of the CPC. How do you see the CPCs role in leading the country to realize economic and social progress？

Samuel Daniel Shafiishuna Nujoma： Drastic changes have taken place in China and the world since the 18th National Congress of the CPC [in 2012]. Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with comrade Xi Jinping at the core， much headway has been made in economic and social development in China.

Important victories have been achieved in building a moderately prosperous society in all aspects， and the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new phase， laying a solid foundation for the fulfillment of the second centenary goal and the dream of rejuvenating the Chinese nation.

To sum up， a prominent feature of Chinas economic development over the past five years is the new normal.

On the one hand， the new nor- mal refers to the slowing of economic growth from the high speed of the past to the current medium-tohigh speed. It also refers to structural optimization. With regard to the proportion of investment and consumption， consumption has become a major driving force of economic growth and its contribution has reached over 50 percent in recent years.

Regarding the industrial structure， the agricultural foundations have been improved and the manufacturing sector has been upgraded； meanwhile， the service industry has grown into the largest sector. The upgrading of the manufacturing sector mainly occurred in hi-tech industries， strategic emerging industries and equipment production. Some of these industries have seen rapid growth at a rate near or even above 10 percent. Regarding domestic and overseas demand， the former has assumed a major role in the Chinese economy.

The third characteristic of the new normal is the shift from the old economic driving forces to new ones. In recent years， investment in technological transformation in industrial and manufacturing sectors has grown faster than overall investment. This confirms that the technological transformation has been accelerating.

So， no matter whether you look at it from the perspectives of speed， structural optimization or the transformation of the drivers of growth， you will find that the new normal of Chinas economic development has more obvious characteristics that support economic development， create more jobs and income， and strengthen the nations comprehensive power.