Pretoria - Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has arrived in Beijing, China, for an official visit, the Presidency said on Monday.
The Deputy President is leading a South African delegation which includes Public Enterprises Minister Lynn Brown and Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande, several deputy ministers, senior government officials, and business and state owned enterprises executives.
The visit will focus on economic and trade matters and, specifically, on how state-owned enterprises can be utilised to promote economic growth and address challenges of poverty and unemployment.
South Africa will use the five-day visit to also study China’s state-owned enterprises and how South Africa could utilise the Chinese model in its own re-industrialisation process.
On Tuesday, Deputy President Ramaphosa is expected to hold bilateral political and economic discussions with Vice-President Li Yuan Chao, followed by a meeting with Li Qiang the Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China.
He will also interact with the Leadership of the Chinese Academy of Governance and address a banquet in his honour later in the evening.
Deputy President Ramaphosa will pay a courtesy call on President Xi Jinping and meet Premier Li Keqiang.
He will hold bilateral discussions with his counterpart Vice President LI Yuanchao in Beijing to discuss a number of issues within the context of the five to 10 year strategic programme, which was signed by President Jacob Zuma during his state visit to the country.
“The bilateral discussions between Deputy President Ramaphosa and his Chinese counterpart Vice President Li Yuanchao are expected to focus on trade and investment cooperation, financial cooperation including the BRICS New Development Bank, infrastructure development, energy issues, vocational training and South Africa’s co-hosting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), to be hosted later this year in South Africa,” the Presidency said on Monday.
During the five days, the deputy President will also visit the Chinese Academy of Governance to explore potential areas of cooperation, particularly in the area of skills development for middle and senior government officials.
The delegation will meet the management of Haier, China Rail Company and Hisense, which recently expanded its existing operations in South Africa by establishing a manufacturing centre in Atlantis, Western Cape.
They will further visit the Shenzhen Comprehensive Traffic Command Centre, which is a programme of initiatives supported and advanced by ICT and managed and run by a governing entity in order to improve the quality of experiences for residents, business and visitors.
In addition to this they will also visit the Shenzhen Port, the world's third largest container port and the headquarters of Huawei, which is interlinked with the Smart City on all levels, including municipal services, urban ICT infrastructure and real-estate, such as smart buildings. - SAnews.gov.za
