In this Sept 2, 2018 photo, Chinese President Xi Jinping accompanies South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. (FENG YONGBIN / CHINA DAILY)
BEIJING – China stands ready to work with South Africa to move their ties forward toward a deeper level with higher quality and broader scope, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday afternoon.
The Chinese leader made the remarks during his phone conversation with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Noting that China and South Africa share a special friendly relationship of comrades and brothers, he said consolidating and developing their relations is of great significance to guiding China-Africa relations as well as solidarity and cooperation among developing countries.
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The two sides should continue to firmly support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns, step up efforts to implement the nine programs of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the 10-year strategic plan on cooperation between the two countries, and strive for new achievements in bilateral cooperation in various areas, said Xi.
China welcomes more imports of high-quality South African products, supports the two sides in expanding cooperation in emerging fields such as new energies and e-commerce, and encourages Chinese enterprises to conduct investment cooperation in South Africa and to help South Africa achieve the development goals of the new investment drive, he said.
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China is ready to discuss cooperation on vaccine production with South Africa, and support South Africa and other African countries in their fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese president said.