Ambassador Zhong Jianhua talks on President Zuma's visit to China and China-South Africa relationship
President Jacob Zuma of South Africa has just concluded his successful state visit to the People's Republic of China at the end of August. During an online interview on 9 Sepember 2010 with www.china.org.cn, Mr. Zhong Jianhua, Chinese Ambassador to South Africa, emphasized that the bilateral relationship between China and South Africa has a solid foundation and great future to benefit both countries and peoples.
Talking about the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established during President Zuma's visit to China, Ambassador Zhong Jianhua said that China-South Africa relationship enjoys solid foundations. The two countries have forged a traditional friendship while supporting each others' struggle for national independence and liberalization in the last century.
The economies of China and South Africa are highly complementary, said the Ambassador. He mentioned different advantages enjoyed by the two countries in financing, markets, technologies, natural and human resources as key elements that yield great potential for cooperation between the two economies which started late but developed fast. According to the Ambassador, the bilateral trade volume between China and South Africa stood at US$16 billion in 2009, almost 10 fold since the two countries established diplomatic relationship in 1998. China has become SA's largest trading partner and export destination. Two-way investments between the two countries have expanded from traditional mining and electronics to finance, energy and infrastructure.
The Beijing Declaration signed during President Zuma's visit to China, said Ambassador Zhong, highlights the political will of the two governments to transform the good bilateral relationship between China and South Africa into solid benefits for both countries in their pursuit of long-term social and economic development.
On the issue of trade, Ambassador Zhong admits that there is an imbalance. He said that while having trade imbalance is natural for all countries, there is a deference of statistics. According to Chinese statistics, China imported US$8.69 billion from South Africa in 2009 while exporting US$7.37, a trade surplus of US$1.32 for SA. But South African statistics has claimed itself a deficit of US$2.7 billion to China. Relevant departments of the two countries have agreed to form a joint taskforce to find out where the differences lie. Ambassador Zhong emphasized that China is willing to import more products particularly value-added products from South Africa but the key issues are what products and at what prices. He urged both sides to enhance communication and consultation to produce concrete resolutions. He reiterated China's commitment to encourage more Chinese companies to invest in SA and deepen their cooperation with SA counterparts in the fields of infrastructure, value-additions of minerals, road and transportation, telecommunication, as well as fishing and agriculture, to create jobs and enhance local economic and social development.
On the so-called "new imperialism" of China in Africa, Ambassador Zhong quoted a paragraph that President Zuma used when answering questions by students at the Renmin University in Beijing. President Zuma said that, when the old colonialists came to Africa, they never consulted the Africans but they took everything away and colonized the continent. When the Chinese came, they consulted with African brothers and sisters and forged a relationship of cooperation and mutual benefits. The Chinese has never colonized Africa. They came for trade and have helped Africa stand on its own feet. China-Africa relationship is based on mutual benefits. No country could survive in the world today independent of others. We have to rely on each other. China is an important emerging economy. We Africans have the right to choose who we want to develop relations. China is the country that we wish to develop economic and trade cooperation with, and we must choose China. According to Ambassador Zhong, President Zuma's remarks are the clearest and deepest explanation of South Africa's view on its relations with China. He said that the China is willing to work together with South Africa to make further efforts in promoting steady and continuous development in our bilateral relations to the benefits of our two countries and peoples.
