Pretoria - Chinese President Xi Jinping has landed in South Africa for a State visit and the historic hosting of the Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
President Xi will be hosted by President Jacob Zuma this afternoon at the Union Buildings for the State visit, which will see the leaders finalising the China-South Africa 5-10 Year Framework on Cooperation, which was signed in December 2014.
The two leaders will engage in bilateral talks, where they will look at the progress made thus far with specific reference to the six priority areas of the framework.
These include the alignment of industries to accelerate South Africa’s industrialisation process; enhancement of cooperation in Special Economic Zones (SEZs); marine cooperation; infrastructure development, human resources cooperation and financial cooperation.
President Xi and President Zuma will co-chair the FOCAC Summit on Friday and Saturday in Sandton.
In his arrival statement, President Xi said South Africa and China’s relationship is at its best and has become a model of solidarity and cooperation between developing countries.
The two sides have “steadily enhanced political trust, deepened practical cooperation in all areas and engaged in dynamic people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and carried out interestingly close international cooperation”.
President Xi said he looks forward to having in-depth exchange of views with President Zuma this afternoon, which he hoped would bring real benefits to the people of both countries and make greater contribution to peace and development in Africa as a whole.
President Xi said FOCAC will be a “milestone summit” in the China-Africa relationship across the board and will promote a more balanced, inclusive and sustainable development.
The gathering of the political leadership of Africa and China will deliberate on the theme ‘China-Africa Progressing Together: Win-Win Cooperation for Common Development’.
The summit will offer China and the leaders of the African continent a unique opportunity to share expertise and experiences to eradicate poverty and ensure an improvement in socio-economic conditions, thus creating a better life for all through a common destiny.
The summit will focus on infrastructure development, industrialisation, job creation, technology and knowledge transfer that is mutually beneficial and will complement the economic potential of two of the fastest-growing regions of the world. – SAnews.gov.za
