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Huawei impressesat Namibia summit

China's Huawei Technologies Co, Ltd impressed visitors during the first day of an information and communication forum held on Oct 6.

Initiated by Namibia's Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, the two-day National ICT Summit aims to boost the application and development of technologies in the country.

As the solution provider for Namibia's biggest telecommunication operator, MTC, Huawei displayed a truck equipped with demonstrations of leading telecommunication technologies.

The truck is on the final leg of its African tour, after traveling through Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe and other countries.

According to Yin Xianyu, managing director of Huawei's Namibia branch, the Chinese company has helped MTC to build a reliable mobile communication network and 4G LTE Internet service since it entered the Namibian market in 2005.

Following Namibian Prime Minister Hage Geingob's visit to Huawei headquarters in China in April, Huawei has agreed to sponsor a training session in China for 20 Namibian ICT personnel this year.

Joel Kaapanda, minister of information and communications technology, expressed his thanks for Huawei's contributions to Namibia as the demonstration truck display opened. Citing international Internet security cases, Kaapanda said it was important "to ensure the security and integrity of our system. Hence we are grateful to Huawei for granting Namibians scholarships in this critical sector."

S. Africa hosts BASICclimate change meeting

South Africa was to host the 19th BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change in Sun City, northwest of Johannesburg, on Oct 8-10, officials announced.

The BASIC Group is a bloc of four large, newly industrialized countries Brazil, South Africa, India and China formed in 2009.

The meeting is designed to deal with climate change issues in their respective countries, the South African Department of Environmental Affairs said.

The meeting was to give ministers an opportunity to discuss issues relating to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations. They were also expected to review the discussion of the ad hoc working group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action regarding the new 2015 agreement, department spokesperson Sithokozile Banele Mabena said.

The discussions were also to look at key issues that have emerged from the negotiations and informal consultations thus far, Mabena said.

The BASIC ministers have been meeting regularly since the Copenhagen Conference of the Parties in 2009, part of the UN Climate Change Conference, to exchange views and develop a coordinated approach on important negotiating issues.

S. African regrets over Chinese tourists' deaths

South African Minister of Tourism Derek Hanekom on Oct 3 expressed his condolences to China following a road accident that killed four Chinese tourists and injured several others.

The accident happened on Oct 1, when the tourists' bus collided with another vehicle in North West Province.

Three tourists were pronounced dead at the scene and the fourth died in a hospital two days later. Of those injured, three were in critical condition, according to hospital sources.

"We are truly saddened by this tragic incident.," Hanekom said. "

On behalf of the government and people of South Africa, I would like to extend our sincere condolences and sympathy to the families and friends of those who have passed on."

Insurance group buys the Waldorf

China's Anbang Insurance Group has bought the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York for $1.95 billion (1.54 billion euros) from Hilton Worldwide Holdings.

It is the largest amount paid for a US hotel, according to research firm Lodging Econometrics, and the highest price paid by a Chinese buyer for a US property, according to commercial real estate brokerage CBRE Group.

Once the purchase of the landmark 60,000-square-foot property is completed, Chinese investors will have spent $2.7 billion on New York-area real estate in 2014, exceeding last year's total by $100 million, according to Real Capital Analytics, a research firm that tracks commercial real estate sales.

The purchase is Anbang's first major deal in the United States, and The Wall Street Journal reported that it had to beat two rival bidders.

The historic hotel has been the top-choice accommodation for a series of Chinese leaders and celebrities including former leaders Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao.

GM to sink $14b into China over five years

General Motors is to invest $14 billion (11 billion euros) in China over the next five years and open five new manufacturing plants to increase annual sales to nearly five million vehicles.

The plans also include introducing 60 new models or revamped vehicles, including nine new models from its flagship luxury brand Cadillac, said Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra.

She revealed the details during a presentation to investors and financial analysts at a GM plant in Milford, Michigan, that centered on some of the company's biggest ever initiatives planned until the end of the decade.

Tim Dunne, director of automotive industry analytics for global market research firm JD Power and Associates, described the China details as "a substantial investment".

"GM is still among those at the forefront in China in terms of annual vehicle sales volume. Everyone is expecting vehicle sales to grow there."

Champion of disabled wins global honor

Zhang Haidi, a role model for China's disabled, has been elected the new leader of the disability rights organization Rehabilitation International.

Her appointment demonstrates global approval for China as it strives to improve life for its disabled population, said the China Disabled Persons' Federation, of which she is chairman.

The 59-year old has used a wheelchair since contracting a spinal disease at age 5. She taught herself several languages during childhood and has been a national role model since the 1980s.

"I want to share China's experience in improving the welfare of its handicapped population with other countries," Zhang said.

Most HK residents oppose protest: survey

More than two-thirds of Hong Kong residents do not support the occupation of key traffic routes, according to a survey conducted during the first five days of the recent protests in the city.

The Hong Kong Research Association found 67 percent of 1,361 respondents did not support the occupations, in telephone surveys conducted between Sept 30 and Oct 5. More than half of the respondents said blockades in Mong Kok, Causeway Bay and Admiralty had affected their daily lives, while 46 percent said the protest had tarnished Hong Kong's international image.

Just under half of the respondents said Hong Kong's prospects would be no better or worse after the crisis was resolved, while only 17 percent believed the city's lot would improve after the occupations ended.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 10/10/2014 page2)