Interview: S. Africa eyes potential for cooperation with China on modernization, says ANC official

The 2024 FOCAC summit has been an important opportunity to strengthen the Africa-China cooperation in various fields even further, especially the robust bilateral economic and trade ties.

by Xinhua Writers Xie Jiang, Wang Xiaomei

JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) — China has made remarkable achievements on the path to modernization, and South Africa sees huge potential for cooperation with China on advancing modernization, a senior official of South Africa’s ruling party has said.

Gwen Ramokgopa, treasurer general of the African National Congress (ANC), said the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) has delivered fruitful outcomes through mutually beneficial cooperation programs over the years.

The 2024 FOCAC summit has been an important opportunity to strengthen the Africa-China cooperation in various fields even further, especially the robust bilateral economic and trade ties, Ramokgopa told Xinhua in an interview in Johannesburg.

The summit was held from Wednesday to Friday in Beijing under the theme “Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future.”

Ramokgopa said the theme is significant for both China and Africa as the two sides are striving to achieve economic growth and improve people’s wellbeing through their respective modernization efforts.

“To advance modernization in Africa, we need to look at our economic endowments and how it can unlock the huge development opportunities, which means creating a very positive business environment, improving the services to African people, and leveraging new technologies, including cleaner technologies around energy and the electrical vehicles,” she said. “China is leading in these areas, so there is huge potential that we can strengthen our cooperation on advancing modernization.”

Ramokgopa, who is also chairperson of Progressive Business Forum, a South African business engagement platform, has visited China many times.

Ramokgopa said she was impressed by the increasing interest from the business community in the two countries in investing in each other’s market.

“During my business trip to China by leading a delegation of 19 companies last year, I’m impressed that there was growing commitment among Chinese companies for partnership to work with local companies in Africa to strengthen cooperation in multiple fields, including new energy and the processing of agricultural products,” she said.

Ramokgopa also expressed her confidence in vigorous people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

“As China has been one of the sources of foreign tourists into South Africa, we would like to invite Chinese to our offerings in tourism as we’ve got wonderful tourist attractions,” she said. “We would also want to promote the relationship between our academic institutions as China has premier universities to skill our people to be able to manage the modernization and industrialization programs.”

On increasing interparty exchanges between the ANC and the Communist Party of China (CPC), Ramokgopa said they treasure their relationship with the CPC, because the relationship between the two parties has been rooted in a struggle for liberation, the prosperity of the two peoples, and the advancement of the two nations.

Ramokgopa spoke highly of the Initiative on Supporting Africa’s Industrialization, the Plan for China Supporting Africa’s Agricultural Modernization and the Plan for China-Africa Cooperation on Talent Development, which were proposed by China.

“The three initiatives are very critical and will play an important role in promoting the development of African countries,” she said.

Both South Africa and China are members of BRICS and representatives of the Global South, cooperation between the two countries in multilateral platforms has helped to raise the voices of the Global South, the official said.

“We believe that cooperation between the two countries will further enable us to contribute more to the development of the Global South as well as the peace, stability and prosperity of the world at large,” she said.

Under the guidance of leaders from both sides, Africa-China cooperation has seen impressive advancement, Ramokgopa said, adding that this cooperation is on an equal and mutually beneficial basis, which is greatly appreciated.

“We look forward to consolidating this relationship and taking it to the next level,” she said.■