How do you see today's China-South Africa ties, and what are the opportunities and challenges? What outcomes can we expect from President Xi's visit to further the China-South Africa relations?

With the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership and the signing of the China-South Africa 5-10 Year Framework on Cooperation, the relationship between China and South Africa is at its best in history. The two countries enjoy close high-level exchanges. This year alone, the two presidents will have five meetings. We have reached an unprecedented level in political mutual trust and given each other understanding and support on issues relating to each other's core interests and major concerns. Practical cooperation is booming, delivering more real benefits to people of both countries. In 2014, bilateral trade reached $60.3 billion, an increase of 40 folds over that of 1998 when the diplomatic ties were established. The stock of Chinese investment in South Africa has reached $12 billion, making China one of the major investors in South Africa. At the same time, South Africa is the leading African investor in China.

I have every confidence in the future growth of China-South Africa relations. Richly endowed in natural and human resources and committed to its strategy of reindustrialization, South Africa enjoys huge market size and development potential. As for China, thanks to its rapid economic growth for more than three decades, it boasts comparative advantages in capital, technology, business and personnel. China and South Africa are each other's necessary and natural partners of development and have before them a rare, historic opportunity for cooperation. 

President Xi will attend the FOCAC Summit in Johannesburg and visit South Africa. This will surely give a strong boost to the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries. The two sides need to seize this important opportunity to fully leverage their advantages in political mutual trust and economic complementarity, deepen cooperation in such key areas as special economic zone, marine economy, manufacturing industry, energy and resources, infrastructure, and people-to-people exchanges, and promote win-win cooperation for common development, thus bringing more tangible benefits to the two peoples.

Of course, the two sides also face numerous challenges in implementing, in a more effective manner, the important agreement reached by the leaders of our two countries. We hope that the two sides will create for each other better business and investment environment, find opportunities amid challenges and turn enormous cooperation potential into fruitful results on the ground.

Currently, China is encountered with slowdown in economic growth with its stock and currency markets having undergone fluctuations, which have attracted world's attention. Some people ask whether Africa can still count on China's development to bolster Africa's development and argue Africa should turn to other partners and strengthen cooperation with them. How do you see the current state of the Chinese economy and its development prospect? Under such circumstances, how could the two sides further deepen win-win cooperation? What are the prospects of China-Africa cooperation?

Since the introduction of reform and opening up more than 30 years ago, the Chinese economy has grown rapidly at an average annual rate of about 10 percent. It is now the second largest in the world. At present, the Chinese economy is shifting from a high-speed growth to a medium-high growth. This is not only because of the sluggish recovery of the world economy as a whole, but also a result of China's proactive management to promote structural reform, lower the speed of growth and improve the quality of growth. We define this as the "new normal" of the Chinese economy. In the long run, it will help increase the efficiency of the Chinese economy and upgrade it, and ensure that the Chinese economy continues to grow in a steady and sound manner.

The Chinese economy registered a 7 percent growth in the first half of this year. Such performance is still one of the best among the world's major economies. The long-term prospects of the Chinese economy remain sound. Major steps are being taken in China to stabilize growth, deepen reform, adjust structure, improve people's well-being and prevent risks in order to sustain a medium-high speed of growth. China is making progress in its pursuit of a new type of industrialization, IT application, urbanization and agricultural modernization, and with a high savings rate and consumption potential; China enjoys huge market space and potential. China's stock market has reached a stage of self-correction and self-adjustment. And there is no basis for continuous depreciation of the RMB.

Statistics show that the Chinese economy remains a major contributor to economic growth in the whole world and in Africa. In the first half of this year, 30 percent of the world economic growth came from China, and China's role in facilitating the rapid growth of African economies is widely appreciated. It is true that China's import and export have somewhat slowed down this year, due to price drop of commodities on the international market. But in terms of aggregate volume, China is still buying more commodities, not less, and its import of goods will remain on a steady upward trajectory. It is estimated that in the next five years, China will import $10 trillion of goods and invest over $500 billion overseas, and outbound visits made by Chinese people will exceed 500 million. What has happened proves that China's reform and opening-up have created development opportunities to the world and contributed in many ways to Africa's rapid development. China will continue to advance reform and opening up. This will bring not just more dividend to the development of the Chinese economy, but also more opportunity for the prosperity of Africa and the world.

Having gone through thick and thin together, China and Africa are bound by this community of shared future and interests. In the 1960s and 1970s, the two sides forged profound friendship in the fight for national independence and liberation. Today, nothing should stop the two sides from coming together to pursue common development. Africa is blessed with abundant natural and human resources and enjoys huge market and development potential. The Agenda 2063 and its first 10-Year Plan adopted at this year's AU Summit have prioritized industrialization and sustainable development, ushering Africa into a new stage of development. As for China, with more than three decades of fast growth, it now has rich experience, mature technology, cost-effective equipment and sufficient capital in the field of industrialization. More importantly, China has the strong political will to support Africa in achieving economic independence and self-reliant sustainable development. China and Africa will usher in a new phase of win-win cooperation and common development.

As an important member of the international community, Africa deserves greater international support in its development. China welcomes more diversity in Africa's partnerships and stands ready to work with other partners in the international community to support Africa under the principle of "raised, agreed and led by Africa." China believes Africa belongs to the African people. Respecting Africa's centrality is essential for such cooperation.