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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Johannesburg, November 21 (Xinhua) — China is willing to work with South Africa to deepen political mutual trust and firmly support each other on issues affecting each other's core interests and major concerns, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said in Johannesburg on Friday.
Li Qiang made the announcement during a meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa ahead of the Group of Twenty (G20) summit, which will be held from November 22 to 23.
The head of the Chinese government conveyed cordial greetings to S. Ramaphosa from Chinese President Xi Jinping, noting that for decades, China and South Africa have treated each other as close brothers, and their friendship spans mountains and seas and is growing ever stronger.
According to Li Qiang, under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China and South Africa are jointly advancing the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in the new era, bringing benefits to the peoples of both countries.
China is willing to continue to work with South Africa to develop traditional friendship and expand cooperation in various fields, thereby better promoting the common development of the two countries and the unity and cooperation between China and Africa as a whole, he added.
The Premier of the State Council recalled that at the 4th Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee held in October, the CPC Central Committee's Proposals for the development of the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development (2026-2030) were reviewed and adopted, and South Africa released a 10-point economic action plan.
China is ready to strengthen the alignment of development strategies with South Africa and facilitate the speedy implementation of zero customs duties for that country, Li Qiang added.
The Premier called on the two sides to leverage complementary strengths in their existing resources and economic structure, deepen cooperation in mining and infrastructure construction, create new areas of cooperation in the automobile industry, unlock the potential for cooperation in emerging sectors such as new energy and artificial intelligence, and expand scientific and technological innovation cooperation in areas such as satellite navigation and the construction of joint laboratories.
The two sides should intensify exchanges of experience in poverty alleviation and rural development, and promote cooperation in areas such as public health, culture, education, and youth exchanges, thereby enhancing the sense of satisfaction among citizens of the two countries, Li Qiang added.
According to the Premier of the State Council, China and South Africa jointly launched the initiative to cooperate on supporting Africa's modernization, in order to encourage the international community to pay more attention to the continent and increase investment in Africa.
Li Qiang also pointed out that China is willing to work with South Africa to strengthen cooperation on platforms such as BRICS and the G20, implement the four global initiatives put forward by President Xi Jinping, safeguard the multilateral trading system, promote reform of the global governance system, and protect the common interests of developing countries.
For his part, S. Ramaphosa asked Li Qiang to convey his warm greetings and best wishes to Xi Jinping. The South African President stated that the important consensus reached between him and the Chinese leader on establishing a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership for the new era has elevated bilateral ties to new historical heights and provided powerful impetus for deepening interstate cooperation in various fields.
The South African leader assured that South Africa firmly adheres to the one-China policy, reaffirming that Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory. South Africa will continue to support each other with China on issues affecting mutual interests, he added.
He expressed gratitude to China for its support for South Africa's socio-economic development and noted that his country is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in areas such as trade, investment, mining, science and technology, energy and infrastructure, healthcare, and poverty alleviation to bring greater benefits to the peoples of the two countries.
South Africa is committed to providing a safe and favourable environment for Chinese enterprises investing and doing business in the country, and is prepared to work with a wide range of African countries to fully leverage China's favourable policies to further develop Africa-China cooperation, Ramaphosa noted.
The President said South Africa highly values the four significant global initiatives put forward by President Xi Jinping.
S. Ramaphosa noted that South Africa is sincerely grateful to China for its strong support for the G20 summit, stating that China plays an important role in facilitating consensus and achieving results at this event.
South Africa is ready to strengthen communication and engagement with China in multilateral formats such as the UN and the G20 to jointly support multilateralism, he added. –0–
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