China’s President, Xi Jinping has touched down in South Africa at OR Tambo International Airport.
Pres Ramaphosa welcomes Chinese counterpart at OR Tambo International Airport:
Media at OR Tambo International Airport ahead of the arrival of Chinese President Xi Jinping.#sabcnews pic.twitter.com/LDtpULivfW
— Sophie Mokoena (@Sophie_Mokoena) August 21, 2023
Xi is expected to meet with other heads of state for the 15th BRICS Summit which kicks off in Sandton on Tuesday.
Xi will also meet with President Cyril Ramaphosa in Pretoria on Tuesday morning before going onto Johannesburg in the afternoon.
China’s interactions with African leaders will follow last month’s Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg, where Russian President Vladimir Putin held court with the 17 African heads of state who attended out of the 54 African countries invited.
Xi and African leaders will draw up a blueprint for cooperation to create jobs and improve livelihoods in Africa.
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Relations between South Africa and China is underpinned by a 10-year Strategic Programme of Cooperation entered into in 2019, and this visit is seen an opportunity to assess progress in the areas of cooperation and collaboration.
Government says its trade with fellow BRICS members accounts for 21% of the country’s global trade, with China accounting for the lion’s share of the BRICS club’s trade with South Africa at 68%.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said Pretoria has a lot to learn from Beijing, which has lifted nearly 800 million people out of poverty over a 40-year period.
