China South Africa Photo:VCG

China and South Africa, whose top leaders met in Beijing, announced the elevation of bilateral ties to an all-round strategic cooperative partnership in the new era, underpinned by strong political ties and focused on a prosperous future with balanced trade, and accelerated transformative economic growth, according to a joint statement released on the official website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday agreed to elevate bilateral relationship, the joint statement showed.

During talks with Ramaphosa, who is in Beijing for the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and on a state visit, Xi said strengthening solidarity and cooperation between China and South Africa is in line with the two peoples' common expectations and the historical process of the Global South's growth, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The Chinese president called on the two countries to lead the bilateral relationship forward with high-level strategic mutual trust and stressed joint efforts to promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, enhance cooperation in the digital economy, artificial intelligence and new energy, and strengthen exchanges and cooperation in human resources development.

According to the joint statement, the two sides agreed to fully leverage the role of such mechanisms as the China-South Africa Joint Working Group (JWG) and the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETC) to further expand economic and trade ties by improving the current trade structure, increasing market access and the export of value-added goods from South Africa.

Also, the statement showed that the two sides will deepen cooperation in traditional fields such as agriculture, health, medical sciences and infrastructure development, however, they will further seize opportunities presented by the new scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, focusing on key areas such as the digital economy, new energies and artificial intelligence, boost cooperation on new quality productive forces, and further expand mutually beneficial cooperation in renewable energy, energy storage and power transmission and distribution.

According to Xinhua, Xi told Ramaphosa that the more complex the international situation becomes, the more the Global South countries must uphold independence, strengthen unity and cooperation, and jointly safeguard international fairness and justice.

China and South Africa, both being developing countries with similar experiences, complement each other in terms of resources, providing a strong foundation for mutual support and common development. The elevation of their ties will set an example for South-South cooperation, Chinese analysts said.

As core members of BRICS and key players in the Global South, China and South Africa play a crucial role in building a more just, fair, and healthy international order during the current period of complex international order changes and significant transformations, said Li Haidong, a professor from the China Foreign Affairs University.

The close and united cooperation between China and South Africa serves as an inspiration for other Global South countries, showing that relationships between nations can achieve a common development goal through mutually beneficial and inclusive means, Li told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

The expert noted that China's development experience is important for other Global South countries, as China's successful development performance instills greater confidence in the development and future prospects of those countries.