Durban – South Africa and China will mark the important milestone of 25 years of diplomatic relations when President Cyril Ramaphosa officially hosts President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China later this month.
South Africa is set to host the BRICS summit later this month with Ramaphosa having sent invites to 67 leaders from the African continent and other global south countries.
The Presidency confirmed that Ramaphosa will host Xi on a state visit on 22 August at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
“Over and above formal talks aimed at strengthening bilateral relations with China, there will be a number of memorandums of understanding (MOUs) that will be signed on the day,” a statement said.
Professor Anil Sooklal, Ambassador-at-Large for Asia and BRICS and South Africa's BRICS Sherpa said the meeting between the two leaders is an opportunity to strengthen trade agreements and to finalise a number of memorandums of understanding.
“We expect established co-operation and expanded co-operation to be discussed, including trade, investment, infrastructure and energy.
“These are already under negotiation between the governments and the private sector.”
Sooklal said the State visit is an opportune moment to sign MOUs and to get traction on the agreements.
“China’s president being here on an official visit presents an opportunity to have a more vibrant discussion with China and to reflect on the journey between the two countries over the past 25 years.”
He said South Africa was China’s largest trade partner on the continent but the issue of balance of trade would be discussed at the BRICS summit, especially on the agricultural and value added sectors.
“Chinese companies like Huawei and Hisense continue to invest in South Africa. More than 95% of the staff at Hisense in the country are South Africans and they continue to expand, skilling our people, providing employment and providing development.
“China has a presence in almost all sectors in mining and agriculture,” Sooklal said.