The year 2004 marks the 6th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of South Africa. It is also in this year that South African people joyfully celebrate their 10 years of freedom and democracy. Recently, H.E. Mr. Thabo Mbeki was reelected president of South Africa in the third non-racial general elections. As the Chinese Ambassador to South Africa, I am very much honored to personally experience these landmark events.

The South African people had gone through long period of most arduous and bitter anti-apartheid struggle. Among those indomitable freedom and democracy fighters, the iconic names like Nelson Mendela, Walter Sisulu and Desmond Tutu are still shining brightly in the grand modern history of South Africa. In 1994, a brand new South Africa was born in peace. The South African people with their remarkable political wisdom eventually smashed the most vile and evil system of apartheid and embarked on a new journey of building a rainbow nation in which all races are equal.  

In the last ten years, tremendous changes have taken place in South Africa. Political harmony was getting more and more consolidated. People gradually accepted the idea and practice of racial reconciliation. Economy kept growing slowly. The predictions of doom and gloom, which were once rife and rampant, that the blacks are not able to govern the country well collapsed of itself.

In recent years, the South African government, headed by President Thabo Mbeki, has been pursuing the policy of GEAR, which suits the actual conditions of South Africa and aims at redistributing social wealth through economic growth. The government goes all out to remedy the traumas of the apartheid, namely the existence of “two nations” and “two economies” in the country, by implementing Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) strategy, improving the living conditions of the poor, while addressing actively the challenges of unemployment, poverty, crime and HIV/AIDS, etc. Thanks to these measures, gratifying progress has been achieved in South Africa’s social and economic transformation.

Being a big power in Africa, as well as a major developing country, South Africa is playing an ever-growing important role in regional and world arenas. It has actively advocated Africa Renaissance, promoted the establishment of the African Union and initiated the New Partnership for Africa’s Development. On international issues, South Africa has been vigorously advocating mutilateralism. It opposed the exertion of military actions on Iraq without the authorization of the United Nations and joined the developing countries in WTO multilateral trade talks to collectively safeguard their legitimate rights. South Africa upholds justice and spares no efforts to push forward South-South cooperation, making positive contributions to maintaining world peace and setting up a just and equitable world order.

China-South Africa relations have enjoyed all-round, rapid and healthy development since diplomatic ties was established between the two countries in 1998. I was accredited to South Africa in March 2001. Since then, I have been working unremittingly to maintain this positive momentum of our friendly relations. I was honored to accompany President Mbeki while he was paying a state visit to China in December 2001. During that visit, leaders from both countries formally launched China-South Africa Bi-National Commission. Four sectoral committees on foreign affairs, economy and trade, science-technology and defense have since been set up, driving Sino-SA Partnership to a new height. The past three years have witnessed considerable achievements in Sino-SA economic and trade cooperation. In 2003, bilateral trade volume reached US$3.87 billion and two-way investment approached US$500 million. Exchanges and cooperation in areas of military, science and technology, culture, education and tourism, etc. have been strengthened steadily. Our two countries support and coordinate with each other in regional and international affairs.

Looking into the future, Sino-SA friendly cooperation has broad prospects for development. Our two countries are highly complementary in terms of economy and trade. We share identical or similar views on many major international issues. I believe that with the deepening of mutual understanding between our two countries, bilateral cooperation in all fields are sure to bear more fruits. China-South Africa relations is bound to have a brighter future.