BRICS partners mark 25 years of friendship by looking to an even brighter future
(JIN DING / CHINA DAILY)
President Xi Jinping has expressed China’s willingness to further strengthen China-South Africa ties, ahead of the BRICS Summit to be held in Johannesburg from Aug 22 to 24. This has been widely welcomed in South Africa and has opened the way for enhancing political solidarity and strategic cooperation.
This year marks 25 years since the establishment of China-South Africa diplomatic ties, which have been characterized by an ever closer and more mutually beneficial partnership. China is now South Africa’s biggest trade partner, a key strategic investor, and a close collaborator in the struggle to transform the global structure toward a more balanced, peaceful, and equitable system.
High-quality economic development in China offers South Africa a significant opportunity for expanded commercial engagement and mutual prosperity. A better understanding of China’s economy could give South African traders a golden opportunity to share China’s economic miracle.
Since the establishment of formal diplomatic relations in 1998, China-South Africa ties have evolved from diplomatic bilateral interaction to a comprehensive strategic partnership. Commercial exchanges have flourished and a high-level political dialogue has evolved, forming a solid foundation for long-term cooperation and exchanges.
South Africa joined the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2015. It has been an active supporter and participant in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) since its inception in 2000. With China’s strong support, South Africa joined the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) mechanism and is now working closely with China to advance multilateralism, along with a common and shared future for all developing countries.
South Africa strongly values the potential for closer ties through the BRI, which is regarded by many African states as the “fast track to prosperity”. Stronger infrastructure links between South Africa and China through the initiative can open the way for continued mutual growth and common prosperity. South Africa thus seeks closer ties to take advantage of a “golden age” for China-Africa trade, high-level strategic cooperation, and mutually beneficial exchanges.
The BRI and FOCAC frameworks are comprehensive and offer significant benefits for South Africa and all African countries.
China’s drive for modernization and prosperity has been a great success and serves as a model for South Africa’s own economic reform and growth. Under President Xi’s leadership, China has become an industrialized prosperous society and has overcome the challenge of extreme poverty. China’s successful experience in modernization shows all developing countries the way toward economic development and prosperity.
China’s successful modernization is an inspiration, a guide, and a motivation for South Africa to overcome its challenges. China’s success gives South Africa a road map toward economic growth, and for reducing unemployment and poverty. To this end, China and South Africa have concluded a 10-year Strategic Cooperation Program (2020-29). This program offers South Africa an enormous opportunity to expand economic interaction. A safe and fair business environment in South Africa can open the way for significant Chinese investment and trade.
The next BRICS summit is expected to further strengthen China-South Africa exchanges and cooperation. Working shoulder to shoulder, China and South Africa can advance the BRICS agenda toward a more peaceful, harmonious, and fair international system. South Africa will work closely with China at the coming BRICS summit to advance shared interests along with strengthened unity and cooperation. BRICS is also expected to support the basic norms of international cooperation and oppose hegemony and power politics.
BRICS is expected to focus on expanding its membership, promoting multilateralism, reducing the dominance of the US dollar, and advancing intra-BRICS trade and investment.
A common history grounded in the struggle against imperialism and colonization forms the foundation for China-South Africa solidarity and friendship. Diplomatic ties have brought China and South Africa closer through high-level exchanges, trade and investment, and international mechanisms for cooperation such as the BRI, FOCAC and BRICS.
The solid friendship and depth of interaction suggest a future based on a new “golden age” for China-South Africa cooperation for the next 25 years. Closer interaction will immensely help South Africa overcome its current challenges in regard to issues such as electricity generation, job creation, and poverty reduction. The China-Africa comprehensive strategic partnership and deep friendship have only just begun; the next 25 years will be more rewarding, more significant, and more mutually beneficial.
The author is a professor of the International Relations Department at Wits University. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.