President Xi eyes closer ties with South Africa

President Xi Jinping has called for China and South Africa to be pacesetters for solidarity and cooperation, inheritors of China-Africa friendship and champions of common interests, saying that the countries' ties have gone beyond the bilateral scope and carry increasingly important global influence.

Xi made the remarks in an article that he wrote for South African media, which was published on Monday, as he started a state visit to the nation and is due to attend the 15th BRICS Summit to be held in Johannesburg from Tuesday to Thursday.

While commending China-South Africa ties, Xi also expressed China's readiness to work with its BRICS partners — Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa — to act on the BRICS spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, build consensus on important issues, carry forward the tradition of independent diplomacy, and resolutely uphold international equity and justice.

This is Xi's sixth visit to South Africa. "Each of my visits to South Africa gave me new impressions. But the deepest is invariably the brotherly sentiments we have toward each other," Xi said in the article published by The Star, Cape Times and The Mercury newspapers as well as Independent Online, South Africa's leading multimedia platform.

He described China-South Africa relations as one of the most vibrant bilateral relationships in the developing world. "Our relationship has entered a 'golden era', enjoying broad prospects and a promising future," Xi said in the article.

In recent years, strategic mutual trust between China and South Africa has been deepening steadily while cooperation in various fields has been constantly enhanced. The two nations have offered each other firm support on issues involving their respective core interests and major concerns, and maintain coordination on major international and regional issues.

"We work together to practice true multilateralism and push for the building of a more just and equitable international order," Xi said.

South Africa was the first African country to sign a Belt and Road cooperation document with China. It has been China's biggest trading partner in Africa for 13 years in a row, as well as one of the African countries with the largest amount of Chinese investment.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and South Africa. Xi said that he will use this visit to work with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to "chart the plan for a new chapter of our comprehensive strategic partnership".

"We need to increase our experience sharing on governance, and firmly support each other in independently exploring a path to modernization that suits our respective national conditions," he said.

"We should fear no hegemony, and work with each other as real partners to push forward our relations amid the changing international landscape."

In terms of bilateral cooperation, Xi called on the two countries to further synergize their development strategies, promote stronger cooperation in infrastructure, digital economy, scientific and technological innovation and energy transition, and ensure that more people from the two countries will benefit from the development outcomes.