SA, China to expand ties
David Masango
23 June 2004
South Africa and the People's Republic of China are to bolster their ties during a binational commission to be held in SA next week.
Deputy President Jacob Zuma, together with his Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong, will co-chair the Second South Africa-People's Republic of China Binational Commission in Pretoria starting on 29 June.
The two countries are expected to sign a number of agreements, including an agreement on education, an exchange of letters regarding the Grant Aid to South Africa on Human Resources Projects, and a memorandum between China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and SA's Department of Agriculture on a sanitary and phytosanitary consultation mechanism.
Other agreements to be signed are a protocol of phytosanitary requirements for citrus exports from SA to China, a cooperation agreement between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry South Africa and The China Council for
Promotion of International Trade, as well as a letter of intent between Sasol and a consortium of Chinese companies.
The framework for the binatianal commission was formalised in December 2001, when President Thabo Mbeki, accompanied by eight Cabinet ministers, visited China.
The inaugural meeting of the commission was also held during this visit, coinciding with the first round of the South Africa-China Joint Economic Commission.
Foreign Affairs spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations with China in 1998, bilateral relations had expanded rapidly in the political, economic, technological, cultural, educational and scientific fields.
South Africa and China share a common perspective on various global issues, including the restructuring of the United Nations, the reform of the global trading system, as well as an enhanced South-South cooperation.
South Africa is China's largest trading partner in Africa, with the
trade volume between the two countries accounting for 20% of the total trade between China and Africa.
Mamoepa said trade between China and South Africa had increased from R9.3-billion in 1990 to R23.3-billion last year.
In addition, Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) to South Africa had amounted (cumulatively) to about R500-million, while South African FDI into China amounted to about R4-billion.
Mamoepa said Beijing was particularly interested in South African technologies in mining, electricity supply and power stations, water management, solar energy, pollution control, and military and nuclear research.
The Chinese delegation will include ministers Zhou Ji (education), Bo Xilai (commerce), Li Changjiang (quality supervision, inspection and quarantine), Foreign Affairs Vice Minister Dai Bingguo and Foreign Affairs Assistant Minister Lu Guozeng.
Source: BuaNews
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