South Africa eyes stronger relations with China in 2025

South Africa aims to strengthen cooperation with China this year across various sectors to achieve mutual benefits, say South African officials and scholars.

Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, South Africa's minister of small business development, highlighted the country's desire for increased Chinese investment to help address key challenges. South Africa expects deeper collaboration in industries such as textiles, agro-processing and mineral beneficiation, she added.

As South Africa prepares to host the G20 Summit this year following its assumption of the presidency in December, Ndabeni-Abrahams said China's experience in organizing major international events could provide valuable insights.

"China is one of the countries we look up to in delivering a successful G20, with outcomes that will lead to the success of the South African and African communities," she said.

"China is a great partner of South Africa and we anticipate that they will play a big role in providing the skills about how to go about the work we are going to do."

Pan Qingjiang, Chinese consul general in Johannesburg, said that last year China was involved in different bilateral and multilateral forums, contributing to the maintenance of world peace and stability.

This year, China will continue to work with other countries to build a community with a shared future for mankind, Pan said.

"We will continue to do our utmost in full confidence to promote high-quality development and pursue high-standard opening-up.

"China will continue to work with all countries, including South Africa, to promote friendship and cooperation, enhance mutual learning among different cultures, and build a community with a shared future for mankind, jointly creating a better future for the world," he said.

Vusi Soqaga, a member of the mayoral committee for engineering and infrastructure in South Africa's Mangaung Metro Municipality, Free State Province, said they are seeking to expand cooperation with China.

An investment conference will be held this month to attract investors to the province, he said. Mangaung Metro is looking forward to securing investment to enhance infrastructure, improve water systems and strengthen public health, he added.

Gaining traction

Emmanuel Matambo, research director at the University of Johannesburg's Centre for Africa-China Studies, said that people-to-people interaction between China and South Africa will gain traction this year.

South Africa will see an increase in Chinese tourists and deeper cooperation with China in multilateral platforms such as the G20, BRICS and the United Nations, Matambo said.

"South Africa and China are expected to cooperate in a way that they hold firm to the commitments at the multilateral levels like the United Nations and G20 and make sure that voices of the developing world are heard," he said.

China is expected to work closely with South Africa and the broader African continent on infrastructure development through the Belt and Road Initiative, improving regional connectivity in support of the African Union's Agenda 2063, he added.

Additionally, South Africa is expected to work with China on tackling climate change, expanding green energy initiatives and bolstering energy supply to help alleviate the country's power shortages, he said.

Monyatso Mahlatsi, a member of the executive committee for health in Free State Province, also expressed interest in collaborating with China to tackle pressing challenges.

"We are looking forward to tapping (into) the knowledge and capacity of your engineers to resolve challenges of water and sanitation in our province, including discussing new methods of building and farming," he said.

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.