China pledges to work more closely with South Africa on range of issues

China has pledged to work more closely with South Africa to deepen mutual political trust between the two countries.

Premier Li Qiang made the comments after meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa in Johannesburg on Friday ahead of the G20 summit.

He passed on cordial greetings from Chinese President Xi Jinping noting the longstanding strong friendship between the two countries.

Li said Beijing was willing to work with Pretoria to safeguard the multilateral trading system and promote the early implementation of zero-tariff treatment for South African goods.

He said it was ready to expand cooperation across a wide range of fields to better promote the common development of both countries, and Africa as a whole.

This includes leveraging their complementary advantages in resources and economic structure and deepening cooperation in mining and infrastructure construction.

The auto industry, energy, and artificial intelligence sectors were also mentioned, as well as science and technology innovation including in satellite navigation.

Li also urged they up exchanges of experience in poverty reduction and rural revitalisation, and advance cooperation in public health, culture, education, and youth, among others.

Ramaphosa, for his part, said he appreciated China’s support for his country’s economic and social development saying South Africa was ready to deepen cooperation.

He also thanked Beijing for supporting the G20 summit in South Africa, saying that it played an important role in helping the gathering build consensus and deliver outcomes.