South Africa-China relations seem to be such a permanent fixture in most people's minds that it is hard to believe January 2018 marks only the 20th anniversary of official diplomatic ties. On this important occasion, ChinAfrica spoke to South African Ambassador to China Dolana Msimang about this milestone. The wide range of cooperation in past, present and future trade, tourism, culture and people-to-people exchanges are some of the topics discussed, along with the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and the Belt and Road Initiative. Edited excerpts of her views follow:

ChinAfrica: What highlights stand out for you in the last two decades of South Africa-China relations and how would you like to see this relationship go forward?

Dolana Msimang: Although South Africa and China formally established diplomatic relations relatively recently in January 1998, four years after the demise of Apartheid, this relationship has seen phenomenal growth. In this 20-year period, the relationship between the two countries has gone through three principal stages: from a partnership in 2000, through a strategic partnership in 2004, to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2010.

Since 2010, China has become South Africa's largest trading partner. The bilateral trade reached about $21.8 billion in 2016, significantly surpassing South Africa's traditional trading partners. At the same time, South Africa is now China's largest trading partner on the African continent.

The accession by South Africa to the membership of BRICS in 2010 was an important milestone in the relations between the two countries, as was the assumption by South Africa of the co-chair position of FOCAC at its Fifth Ministerial Conference in Beijing in July 2012. Over and above the bilateral arrangements between China and individual African countries, South Africa has consistently advocated for an enhanced role for the African Union (AU) as well as the various regional economic communities in Africa in the work of FOCAC.

The South Africa-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is supported by numerous high-level bilateral mechanisms, including South Africa-China Bi-National Commission, South Africa-China Joint Working Group and South Africa-China Strategic Dialogue, and in April 2017, South Africa successfully hosted the First South Africa-China High-Level People-to-People Exchange Mechanism. This is the latest addition to our structured bilateral mechanisms and the first people-to-people exchange mechanism China has with an African country.

The key elements underpinning this very robust relationship are deep bonds of friendship, mutual trust and respect, equality, win-win relations, and a mutual desire to build a better world and thus a prosperous future for humanity.

The Seventh Ministerial Conference of FOCAC will take place in China in 2018. What are your expectations of the conference in relation to South Africa?

South Africa hosted the Sixth Ministerial Conference, elevated to the Johannesburg Summit of FOCAC in December 2015, under the theme "Africa-China Progressing Together: Win-Win Cooperation for Common Development." The summit further consolidated the partnership between Africa and China, through South-South cooperation, with a special focus on industrialization and regional integration of economies in Africa. It was the first FOCAC Summit on African soil and it led to major breakthroughs as we accelerate our efforts to bring meaning to Africa-China solidarity, through concrete business and commercial ventures.

South Africa will continue to actively drive Africa's regional integration efforts, including developing continental north-south rail and road links, expanding ports and energy capacity, and skills. This directly speaks to the AU Agenda 2063, which is at the core of South Africa's foreign policy.

The industrialization effort in the African continent is dependent on various countries' ability to attract foreign direct investment. China is strategically positioned to cooperate with Africa to realize its dreams in this regard. Partnering with China will yield more real results if the investments create local employment in a socially and environmentally sustainable way.

How important is the Belt and Road Initiative to South Africa-China relations?

South Africa signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative with China during the state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to South Africa in December 2015. The MoU encourages Chinese and South African companies, through various business links, to explore cooperation opportunities in infrastructure projects such as roads, railways, ports, power generation, airports and human settlements.

The Belt and Road Initiative dovetails with South Africa's National Development Plan and Operation Phakisa, an initiative aimed at "unlocking the potential of South Africa's ocean economy" which was initiated in March 2014 as a government program to fast track initiatives within the oceans.

South Africa is working closely with China toward the realization of our industrialization plan as well as encouraging China to increase investments into the country. China has made a commitment to encourage Chinese enterprises to increase investment in South Africa's manufacturing industry and promote the creation of value-adding activities in close proximity to the source of raw materials.

I believe that against the backdrop of a global infrastructure gap estimated in the trillions of dollars, the Belt and Road Initiative will deepen global economic integration, boost cross-border trade and financial flows between Asia, Africa and Europe.

Our country has a strong focus on regional integration and the development of regional value chains. The Belt and Road Initiative is, therefore, an opportunity for South African and Chinese companies to forge partnerships on infrastructure projects, which will assist us to achieve our regional integration objectives.

How important have culture and youth exchanges been in bridging misunderstandings and dispelling stereotype impressions from both sides?

Culture and youth exchanges between countries are very important in today's globalized world. People need to understand each other and appreciate and respect one another's cultures. This lays the foundation for cooperation and makes it possible to maximize the opportunities the modern world has to offer.

In the case of South Africa and China, there have been important developments in this regard. The Year of South Africa in China in 2014 and the Year of China in South Africa in 2015 are still fresh in our memories and we hope to further build on this in 2018.

Currently, more than 2,000 South Africans are studying a vast array of degrees at tertiary institutions across China. A number of South Africans are working in China, running their own businesses, while at the same time more than 350,000 Chinese are living and working in South Africa. Many of them are now South African citizens.

South Africa and China believe that the strong relationship is anchored by our people-to-people relations. In December 2015, President Jacob Zuma and President Xi Jinping agreed to establish a South Africa-China High-Level People-to-People Exchange Mechanism. In April 2017, South Africa successfully hosted the first meeting of the mechanism and we are looking forward to the second meeting that will be held in China in 2018.

In line with the South Africa Year in China in 2014 and the China Year in South Africa in 2015, are there any celebrations planned to celebrate this 20th anniversary in 2018?

To celebrate our 20 years of diplomatic relations with China, we will focus on four main events in 2018 supported by a variety of other activities:

The year will commence with the all-important commemoration reception in January, which we shall hold in collaboration with the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

The second significant landmark is the 24th Freedom Day Celebration in April which will showcase our relations with China.

Our third highlight is the celebration of the Nelson Mandela International Day in July, and we plan events around this significant day, which in 2018 coincides with the 100-year anniversary of Nelson Mandela's birth.

Our fourth highlight will be the South Africa Week in September, corresponding with the celebration of the Heritage Month in South Africa. During this week we will showcase what South Africa has to offer through various events.