South Africa, one of the earliest countries to join the Belt and Road Initiative, has seen tangible benefits from the cooperation, according to the country's Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
Mashatile made the statement in an interview with China Media Group (CMG) in Beijing last month when he visited China and attended the fourth China International Supply Chain Expo.
He pointed to energy projects, port development, and infrastructure cooperation across provinces as clear evidence that Belt and Road participation is already delivering visible results for South Africa and the wider African continent.
"Well we were amongst the first countries that started taking advantage of the Belt and Road Initiative. If you look at the developments that have taken place since then, you go to provinces like Limpopo projects that we're rolling out there. In the Northern Cape on the energy side. In Kwazulu Natal on the ports, one of the busiest ports in South Africa is the port of Durban. And there are Chinese companies that have worked with us on developing, so you can visibly see the advantage of the Belt and Road Initiative across the continent and of course I'm expecting that more is going to happen," he said.
"I've seen that already China is building rail lines in Kenya. In Nairobi there are projects there, so the impact is visible, and you can see with the projects that are already on the ground," he added.
Belt and Road Initiative brings tangible gains to South Africa: deputy president
