South Africa views China as a strong partner because of their mutual support across various fields and China's role in bringing expertise, funding and skills development to Africa, according to South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Africa in January 1998, bilateral ties have developed comprehensively and rapidly.
In September 2024, China-South Africa relations were upgraded to an "all-round strategic cooperative partnership in a new era."
In an interview with China Media Group (CMG) on the sidelines of the fourth China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) in Beijing in June, Mashatile shared his views on the deepening relationship between the two countries.
He noted that their close cooperation across various areas has significantly strengthened their partnership.
"South Africa and China are very strong partners. We work together in multilateral institutions. We support one another. We have participated in FOCAC. China participated when we hosted the G20. And so, in a number of platforms we work together, we align our strategies," said Mashatile.
He added that China's support for Africa, including infrastructure development, expertise, funding and skills transfer, has helped deepen relations with South Africa, which sees China as both a strong partner and a friend.
"For us that's very important, because China has been very supportive to countries in the Global South. When they started with FOCAC, you can see a lot of developments in the African continent now, where China is involved in building roads, bridges, dams. So, it was not just talk. When China said 'we're going to work with the African continent', they followed up. Chinese companies are involved in those, where they're bringing the expertise, the funding and also transferring skills to the locals, which for us is very important. So we regard China as our strong partner, we regard China as a friend. And our relationship is deepening. So I'm quite happy with this relationship," said Mashatile.
S Africa sees China as strong partner: deputy president
