Deepening mutually beneficial cooperation and promoting common development relations | South Africa | Countries

After 5 years, South Africa will once again welcome BRICS partners.

At a critical juncture in historical development, China, along with other BRICS countries, African countries, as well as other emerging market and developing countries, has jointly discussed cooperation and development plans, and worked with South Africa to plan the development direction of the new era of China South Africa comprehensive strategic partnership. This will undoubtedly elevate the unity and cooperation between emerging market and developing countries to a new level, and make greater contributions to promoting world peace and development.

Promote BRICS cooperation to enter a new stage of high-quality development

The BRICS countries were born in the historical tide of the collective rise of emerging market countries and developing countries, representing the direction of the evolution and adjustment of the world pattern and international order. The BRICS cooperation has gone beyond the old routine of political and military alliances and established a new relationship of partnership and non alignment; Beyond the old ideological line, we have embarked on a new path of mutual respect and common progress; Beyond the old concept of "you lose, I win" and "winner takes all", we have put into practice the new concept of mutual benefit and cooperation.

The BRICS countries uphold the spirit of openness, inclusiveness, and win-win cooperation, continuously deepening economic, trade, finance, political security, and cultural exchanges and cooperation, and have become an active, stable, and constructive force in international affairs. In March of this year, a statistical data released by the UK economic research firm Oak Macro Consulting showed that in 2022, the proportion of BRICS countries to the world economy, calculated at purchasing power parity, exceeded that of the G7.

The President of the New Development Bank and former President of Brazil, Rousseff, stated that the BRICS countries have made outstanding contributions to stabilizing and recovering the world economy and returning to the path of growth. They have played a leading role in strengthening the unity and self-improvement of "global southern" countries, representing the correct direction of world development.

China has always cherished cooperation with the BRICS countries, upheld the spirit of the BRICS, and worked together with all parties to fully promote the deepening and implementation of BRICS cooperation, deepen the strategic partnership of the BRICS, and make due contributions to maintaining world peace and stability, promoting global development and prosperity.

In Durban, South Africa, four major goals were proposed for the BRICS countries: "integrated market, multi-level circulation, land sea air connectivity, and cultural exchange"; In Fortaleza, Brazil, we advocate for the BRICS spirit of openness, inclusiveness, and win-win cooperation; In Ufa, Russia, the proposal was made to build the "Four Major Partnership" among the BRICS countries; In Goa, India, it is announced to expand and consolidate the "circle of friends" of BRICS countries; In Johannesburg, South Africa, the proposal was made to build a new industrial revolution partnership among the BRICS countries;

The century long changes in the world are accelerating, and the world is entering a new period of turbulence and change. Countries have a stronger call for international fairness and justice, and people's desire for development cooperation is becoming more urgent. The contemporary value of the BRICS spirit is also more prominent.

Since the beginning of this year, BRICS countries have reached cooperation consensus in multiple fields, injecting more stability and positive energy into the turbulent international situation. The foreign ministers of the BRICS countries stated that in the new situation, we need to strengthen BRICS cooperation, promote solidarity and self-improvement among developing countries, promote changes in the global governance system, accelerate the achievement of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, and contribute to world peace and development; The 13th BRICS High Representative Conference on Security Affairs exchanged in-depth views on current security challenges, counter-terrorism and cybersecurity, food and water security, energy security, and other issues, and reached broad consensus; Five major economic and trade ministers of the five countries conducted in-depth discussions on a series of major economic and trade issues, and achieved important results in five aspects: strengthening cooperation in emerging fields such as the digital economy and green development, coordinating positions on major international economic and trade issues, and reaching many consensus on expanding "BRICS+" cooperation

Unity is strength, action is direction, and openness is motivation. The BRICS countries are not closed clubs or exclusive "small circles", but a big family of mutual assistance and good partners for win-win cooperation. During the 14th meeting of BRICS leaders, the leaders of the five countries reached important consensus on the issue of BRICS expansion, supporting the discussion of expansion standards and procedures. At present, multiple countries have applied to join the BRICS Cooperation Mechanism, which will become one of the main topics of the 15th BRICS Leaders Meeting to be held in Johannesburg.

Sukrar, Deputy Director General of the South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Coordinator for BRICS Affairs, said, "The growing strength of the BRICS cooperation mechanism is mainly due to the overall strength of developing countries, which have a relatively consistent vision for cooperative development." Cuban Prime Minister Miguel Dias Carnell believes, "The most important thing is that the BRICS countries defend multipolarity and multilateralism... By defending multilateralism, the BRICS countries are fighting against the concept of the Cold War and providing possibilities for establishing a more fair, just, and beneficial global international economic order."

Continuously making positive contributions to world peace and development

For many years, in the face of turbulent waves and wind and rain, the BRICS ship has bravely sailed forward, forging a path of mutual refinement and win-win cooperation.

On the banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai, China, the headquarters of the New Development Bank is located here, indicating the solid achievements of the BRICS cooperation.

Since its opening in July 2015, New Development Bank has issued a total of $16 billion in bonds, of which about 35% are issued in Chinese yuan. In addition, the bank has approved a total of 98 investment projects with a total loan amount exceeding 33 billion US dollars, generating significant development efficiency.

Over the past 8 years, the heavy transcripts have created a strong magnetic attraction effect on more and more countries for the New Development Bank. In 2021, the New Development Bank launched an expansion to include Bangladesh, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Uruguay as new member countries. Rousseff stated that in the future, the New Development Bank will further expand its "circle of friends" and create a "BRICS model" for multilateral cooperation.

South of Shanghai, Xiamen, 1000 kilometers away, has witnessed the firm steps of BRICS cooperation towards the second "golden decade". In September 2017, during the Xiamen meeting of BRICS leaders, the leaders of the five countries unanimously decided to deepen strategic partnerships, consolidate the "three wheel drive" cooperation structure of economic, trade, finance, political security, and cultural exchanges, establish the "BRICS+" cooperation concept, and add confidence to the BRICS giant ship once again.

In the past six years, economic, trade, finance and financial cooperation represented by the New Development Bank and the BRICS New Industrial Revolution Partnership Innovation Base has made new achievements; Consolidate and deepen political and security cooperation represented by the BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting and the High Representative Meeting on Security Affairs; Diversified interactions in cultural exchange and cooperation, represented by the BRICS Forum on Cultural Exchange and Media Training Courses. Herman Laurel, founder of the BRICS Policy Research Association in the Philippines, stated that cooperation among the BRICS countries is comprehensive and pragmatic. The "three wheel drive" cooperation framework is efficient and stable, unleashing tremendous vitality, bringing development opportunities to the BRICS countries themselves, and setting an example for cooperation between emerging market countries and developing countries.

Over the past six years, the "BRICS+" cooperation model has continuously deepened and expanded, becoming a model for emerging market countries and developing countries to engage in South South cooperation and achieve joint self-improvement. From technological innovation to cultural exchange, and then to sustainable development, the rich and diverse "BRICS+" activities run through multiple fields, providing new development cooperation platforms for emerging market countries and developing countries. As Ecuadorian media have stated, "BRICS+will become a new direction for global southern cooperation." Khalid Rahman, Director of the Islamabad Policy Research Institute in Pakistan, believes that "the significance of BRICS cooperation goes beyond the scope of the five countries and carries the expectations of emerging market countries, developing countries, and even the entire international community."

Having the right way of doing things, we are as good as each other for thousands of miles, fixed in glue and paint, and firm in gold and stone.

Looking back at the history of cooperation among the BRICS countries, the principle of "dialogue without confrontation, partnership without alliance" upheld by the five countries from the beginning has more contemporary significance in the current international context. The BRICS countries follow the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, as well as the basic norms of international law and international relations, to handle their relations between countries, and to share development opportunities with other countries while achieving their own development.

China is a founding member of the BRICS Cooperation Mechanism and an important driving force and leader in deepening and solidifying BRICS cooperation. Strengthening cooperation with BRICS countries has always been one of the priority directions of China's foreign policy. China firmly believes that BRICS cooperation conforms to the historical trend of economic globalization, world multipolarity, and democratization of international relations, reflects the wave of collective rise of emerging market countries and developing countries, represents the direction of the evolution and adjustment of the world pattern and international order, and will maintain vitality in the long term, continuously making positive contributions to world peace and development.

In June 2022, during the 14th meeting of BRICS leaders, China held its first high-level dialogue on global development, inviting BRICS leaders to gather in the cloud with leaders from 13 other emerging market and developing countries to discuss global development plans and add new development highlights to BRICS cooperation.

From establishing the Global Development and South South Cooperation Fund to increasing investment in the China United Nations Peace and Development Fund;The attending leaders discussed global development issues of common concern and reached broad consensus around the theme of "Building a New Era Global Development Partnership and Jointly Implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development". The successful holding of this conference marks the beginning of the global development initiative taking root.

In the new era, China is promoting high-quality development and high-level opening up, and comprehensively promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese path to modernization. China is always committed to promoting mutual benefit and common development, and will provide more opportunities for countries around the world, including the BRICS countries.

"The successful experience of Chinese path to modernization will open the way to a better future for more countries and people." Zyuganov, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, believes that Chinese path to modernization has abandoned the old path of capital centered modernization, bipolar modernization, materialism expansion, and foreign expansion and plunder in some Western countries, broken the myth that "modernization equals westernization", expanded the way for developing countries to modernization, and will strongly promote BRICS cooperation to a new level.

The great road is not alone, and everyone's actions go far. Standing at the crossroads of history, the BRICS countries are striving to translate the spirit of openness, inclusiveness, and win-win cooperation into practical actions, which will continuously inject certainty into the ever-changing world and contribute more BRICS strength to promoting the common values of all mankind and promoting the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Jointly building a high-level community with a shared future for Central and South China

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Africa, as well as the BRICS "South Africa Year".

In 2013, after taking office as the President of the country, he made his first visit to South Africa and attended the Fifth BRICS Leaders Meeting held in Durban; In 2015, he made another state visit to South Africa and attended and chaired the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation;

If one's heart is in agreement, all plans will come to fruition. Both central and southern regions are major developing countries and emerging market economies, facing the heavy responsibility of developing the economy and improving people's livelihoods. Improving the level of bilateral relations and building a high-level China South community with a shared future not only benefits the people of both countries, but also promotes unity and cooperation among developing countries and world peace and development. Both China and South Africa firmly uphold multilateralism, oppose unilateralism and bullying. Both sides closely collaborate within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, the G20, the BRICS countries, and the four basic countries on climate change to jointly uphold true multilateralism and promote the development of the international order towards a more just and reasonable direction.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea 25 years ago, bilateral economic and trade cooperation has achieved many results, laying a solid foundation for the further development of bilateral relations.

The trade between Central and South China has maintained a good momentum. China has remained the largest trading partner of South Africa for 14 consecutive years, and South Africa has become China's largest trading partner in Africa for 13 consecutive years. Through platforms such as the China International Import Expo, high-quality South African products such as beef, red wine, oysters, and doctoral tea have entered the Chinese market; In 2022, the two countries signed an agreement to export South African citrus and fresh pear to China, which will further expand the export of high-quality agricultural products from South Africa to China. Not long ago, the "China South Africa Enterprise Trade Matchmaking Conference and Signing Ceremony" was held in Johannesburg, promoting both sides to tap into the potential of cooperation and expand cooperation space. South Africa's Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Patel, stated that South Africa regards China as its most important economic and trade partner and is willing to continue promoting exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in areas such as trade and investment.

South Africa is the first African country to sign a cooperation document with China to jointly build the "the Belt and Road". In recent years, China South Africa all-round mutually beneficial cooperation has shown strong vitality and resilience, and has yielded fruitful results. It has become a successful model for the joint construction of the "the Belt and Road" initiative to link Africa's development and promote South South cooperation. As of the end of June 2023, China's stock of various investments in South Africa is approximately $10 billion, creating over 400000 job opportunities for the region. Chinese brands cover multiple fields such as household appliances, medical equipment, and intelligent transportation, providing South African people with more cost-effective choices; The De'a wind power project operated by a Chinese enterprise has solved the electricity demand of 85000 local residents; In June of this year, China South Africa held the China South Africa New Energy Investment Cooperation Conference, and more than 170 Chinese and South African enterprises achieved positive results in expanding cooperation in new energy projects; In July of this year, Huawei South Africa Innovation Center was launched... The two countries actively expanded practical cooperation in fields such as 5G, digital economy, high-tech, e-commerce, smart cities, and clean energy.

The rapid development of China South relations is a vivid portrayal of the deepening of China Africa cooperation and a model of solidarity and cooperation among developing countries. At present, the feasibility study of small port development and construction, as well as the construction of poverty reduction demonstration villages in southern China, and other nine projects of the China Africa Cooperation Forum, are accelerating their landing in South Africa, demonstrating the vitality of China Africa cooperation. China and Africa have jointly established a public "cloud" serving the entire African region in South Africa, as well as the first 5G independent networking commercial network. The cooperation in information technology between China and South Africa will help China and Africa embrace the fourth industrial revolution. President Ramaphosa stated that South China cooperation benefits Africa. South Africa highly values the strong and high-level comprehensive strategic partnership between South and China, and is deeply proud of it.

South African Ambassador to China, Xie Shengwen, stated that more and more Chinese companies are investing in South Africa, which not only brings funds but also high-tech support, helping South Africa transform its advantageous resources into market competitiveness.