Rapid progress has been made in various fields in China-South Africa relationship since the two countries established diplomatic ties in early 1998. South African President Jacob Zuma's state visit to China in early December 2014 has furthered the bilateral relations, said Lin Songtian, Director General of the Department of African Affairs, China's Foreign Ministry. He sat down with ChinAfrica reporter Ni Yanshuo, sharing his views on the future development of Sino-South African ties.

ChinAfrica: What's your comment on President Jacob Zuma's visit to China?

Lin Songtian: President Zuma's China visit has been fruitful, with a series of agreements signed, including the Five-10 Years' Strategic Plan on Cooperation Between China and South Africa (2015-24). Consensus has been reached on the following aspects:

» Enhancing mutual trust - President Xi Jinping and President Zuma reached a consensus during their meeting on furthering bilateral relations in the coming five to 10 years. They both agreed that the two countries should make joint efforts to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and build China-South Africa relations into a comprehensive strategic partnership that features mutual trust in politics, mutual benefit in the economy, mutual learning in people-to-people and cultural engagements, and mutual help in security.

» Boosting mutually beneficial economic cooperation - The two presidents agreed that the two countries should turn their friendship in political relations into advantages in mutually beneficial cooperation in other areas and share experiences in building special economic zones, industrial parks and sci-tech parks. Mutually beneficial cooperation should be deepened in areas such as finance, investment, agriculture, infrastructure construction, marine economy and green economy to benefit the people in both countries. During Zuma's visit, more than 10 agreements were signed on cooperation in areas such as trade, health, agriculture, science and technology, nuclear energy and media.

» Deepening cultural exchanges and cooperation - The two presidents decided that holding the Year of South Africa in China and the Year of China in South Africa is a new way to increase cultural exchanges and promote people-to-people friendship. China has vowed to provide more vocational training opportunities on bilateral and multilateral bases according to South Africa's needs and will help train 2,000 South Africans between 2015 and 2020. During his visit, Zuma delivered an important speech at Tsinghua University and was conferred an honorary professorship.

» Intensifying security collaboration - Xi and Zuma stressed that both countries are willing to make greater contributions to maintaining peace and stability in Africa and support Africa in resolving regional issues independently. The two countries would like to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in fields such as peacekeeping and fighting against terrorism, pirates and organized crimes. China would like to provide necessary support to the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises [a temporary standby force set up in November 2013] initiated by South Africa.

» Strengthening coordination in dealing with international and regional issues - Both presidents have agreed to maintain consultation and strengthen coordination on important international and regional issues of mutual concern. Both countries have pledged to make joint efforts to push BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) to play a greater role in leading the global economic growth, improving global governance and democratizing international relations. 

China and South Africa's local governments have been increasing mutual exchanges. Do you think this can help increase mutual understanding among the people in both countries?

So far, China and South Africa have 28 pairs of sister cities and provinces, which means the local governments and people of both countries have the need to enhance cooperation. The relations between the two countries will finally be reflected by people-to-people exchanges. China encourages more provinces and cities to pair up with their counterparts in South Africa on the basis of advantage complementation.

There is great scope for twinning Chinese and South African cities and provinces. In the coming years, private enterprises should be the major players in China-South Africa investment and cooperation. Local governments should act as a bridge and provide good services. African local governments should also improve their relevant laws, issue preferential policies and provide highly efficient one-stop services to facilitate investors. 

The Year of South Africa in China ended on December 5, 2014. What do you think of it? What's your expectation for the Year of China in South Africa this year?

Holding the Year of South Africa in China in 2014 and the Year of China in South Africa in 2015 was the important consensus reached by President Xi and President Zuma when Xi visited South Africa in early 2013. The Year of South Africa held in China in 2014 was highly significant. As I said before, the biggest barrier in the way of Sino-African cooperation is inadequate understanding of each other. Thus, we should greatly encourage people-to-people exchanges so that they can understand one another better.

The Year of South Africa in China started on April 29. A series of cultural activities such as South African film shows and photo exhibitions were held in more than 10 provinces and municipalities. It was an important window for the Chinese to learn more about South Africa.

The Year of China in South Africa is planned to start from the Spring Festival of the Year of the Sheep (February 19, 2015). Seminars, cultural performances and TV programs will be organized in many places so that South African people can learn more about China. 

The year 2015 marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), and the Sixth FOCAC Ministerial Conference will be held in South Africa. How has the mechanism promoted Sino-African cooperation?

The FOCAC was established in 2000. Thanks to joint efforts by China and Africa and the support of their leaders, Sino-African cooperation has made great progress under the framework. The FOCAC has now become an important platform for China and African countries to conduct collective dialogues and promote pragmatic cooperation. Thanks to the mechanism, we have seen rapid development in Sino-African relations in various fields:

» More frequent high-level exchange visits - In March 2013, Xi visited three African countries on his first trip overseas after being sworn in as the Chinese president. He put forward the principles of "being faithful, valuing real results, seeking to cultivate kinship-like qualities in a relationship and being sincere" in promoting Sino-African cooperation. In May 2014, Premier Li Keqiang visited four African countries and the African Union Headquarters, and proposed a 4-6-1 model (see box) for improving relations with Africa. Many African leaders have also visited China over the past couple of years.

» Rapid development of economic cooperation - Trade between China and African countries exceeded $200 billion in 2013. China has been Africa's largest trading partner for five successive years. The China-Africa Development Fund and Special Loan for the Development of African SMEs funded by the China Development Bank continue to expand their investment and financing scales. In 2013, China's investment in Africa doubled from 2012, reaching $27.33 billion.

» Implementing commitments to aid Africa - Since August 2012, China has provided training opportunities for more than 20,000 Africans. In 2012 and 2013, China provided scholarships to more than 14,000 African students. China and African countries have cooperated to launch 30 agricultural technology cooperation projects and China has sent more than 500 agricultural experts and technicians. In addition, China continues to dispatch medical teams to 42 African countries.

After Ebola broke out in West Africa in March 2014, the Chinese Government took the lead in helping these countries fight the epidemic. As of the end of 2014, China has provided four rounds of aid worth 750 million yuan ($122.55 million) and chartered eight planes to send humanitarian assistance and personnel.

At the Sixth FOCAC Ministerial Conference in South Africa, we will hold a photo exhibition to demonstrate the achievements of Sino-African cooperation in areas such as politics, the economy, culture, peace and security.

Thanks to the mechanism, we have made numerous achievements in China-Africa cooperation. The most important achievement is that it has helped enhance unity and mutual trust between China and African countries, promote pragmatic cooperation and realize mutually beneficial cooperation on a win-win basis.

4-6-1 Model