(Xinhua/Li Xueren)
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Monday the upgrading of China-South Africa relations to an all-round strategic cooperative partnership for the new era.
Xi held talks with Ramaphosa, who is in Beijing to attend the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and pay a state visit.
Xi said strengthening solidarity and cooperation between China and South Africa is in line with the common expectations of the two peoples as well as the historical process of growth of the Global South.
The Chinese president called on the two countries to advance bilateral relations with high-level strategic mutual trust, and stressed joint efforts to promote high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road framework, step up cooperation in digital economy, artificial intelligence and new energy, and strengthen exchanges and cooperation in human resources development.
Xi said China will open its door wider to African countries, adding that the country is willing to work with South Africa and other African countries to create new momentum for cooperation and promote high-quality development of China-Africa cooperation.
The more complex the international situation becomes, the more countries in the Global South should safeguard their independence, strengthen unity and cooperation, and jointly safeguard international fairness and justice, Xi noted.
Mr Ramaphosa said South Africa would remain a trustworthy and reliable friend of China.
Seizing the opportunity of building a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in the new era, South Africa will expand and deepen pragmatic cooperation with China in such areas as economy, trade, investment, infrastructure, new energy and poverty alleviation. It will also boost people-to-people exchanges, and educational and cultural cooperation with China, he said.
Mr Ramaphosa stressed that cooperation under the FCSA had brought considerable benefits to African countries, including South Africa.
South Africa supports the six common points on the political settlement of the Ukrainian issue jointly proposed by China and Brazil, he said, adding that the country will continue to strengthen communication and collaboration with China within the framework of BRICS, the G20 and other multilateral frameworks.
After the talks, the two heads of state witnessed the signing of a series of bilateral cooperation documents in such fields as the application of the BeiDou navigation satellite system. The two sides also issued a joint statement on building their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in the new era.
Before the meeting, Mr Xi held a welcoming ceremony for Mr Ramaphosa at the Great Hall of the People.
(Xinhua/Li Xueren)
(Xinhua/Li Xueren)
