Pretoria - International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has concluded a successful working visit to China.
"The purpose of the visit was to meet with my counterpart, Minister WANG Yi and Vice Minister of Finance SHI Yaobin to discuss the South Africa-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and progress we are making bilaterally,” Minister Nkoana-Mashabane said on Sunday.
The Minister said she and her counterparts took stock of progress made as the co-chairs of Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
“In our capacity as Ministers responsible for the overall coordination of work under BRICS in our respective countries, we also discussed the status of BRICS projects," said Minister Nkoana-Mashabane.
South Africa and China’s bilateral diplomatic relationship is at the level of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), with China currently involved in several important development projects in the country.
The two countries are also members of BRICS and co-chairs of the Forum on FOCAC. The engagements in Beijing provided an important opportunity for Minister Nkoana-Mashabane and Minister WANG Yi, as well as Vice Minister SHI Yaobin to discuss issues of mutual interest at the bilateral and multilateral level.
China, the current chair of BRICS, will host the 9th BRICS Leaders’ Summit in Xiamen, Fujian Province, from 3-5 September 2017. Thereafter, it will be South Africa's turn to chair BRICS in 2018.
Minister Nkoana-Mashabane expressed her satisfaction with the outcomes of her brief but especially a fruitful working visit to China. – SAnews.gov.za
