South Africa is the rotating chair of the Group of 77 plus China this year. Not long ago, China and the UN co-hosted the High-Level Round Table on South-South Cooperation in UN headquarters. President Xi chaired the meeting and shared his views on South-South cooperation. As two important developing countries, what roles could China and South Africa play in promoting South-South cooperation? And what kind of cooperation could be launched in the future?

South-South cooperation is an important means for developing countries to seek strength through unity and pursue win-win outcome. It is also a significant force in international development cooperation. China attaches great importance to South-South cooperation. It initiated and co-chaired with the United Nations the Round Table on South-South Cooperation during this year's UN Sustainable Development Summit. President Xi and over 20 foreign leaders and representatives of international organizations reviewed the journey of South-South cooperation and explored future cooperation and development, which has lent fresh impetus to South-South cooperation. 

As President Xi pointed out at the High-level Round Table on South-South Cooperation, the post-2015 development agenda has set higher development goals and raised higher development requirements for all countries. South-South cooperation should take the implementation of the post-2015 development agenda as an opportunity to boost developing countries' development in quality, scale and scope. China and South Africa are both major developing countries. We should stand firm in upholding the overall interests of developing countries in implementing the post-2015 development agenda and on other major international issues. We have provided assistance within our abilities to African and other developing countries and given support to all countries in achieving common prosperity in order to take South-South cooperation to new heights.

Today, pursuing the common task of development, China and South Africa have all the more reason to work together. As President Xi points out, developing countries need to share their successful governance experience, synergize development strategies, start with connectivity and global production capacity cooperation to build closer partnerships in trade, finance, investment, infrastructure and environmental protection. Along this line of thinking, China will step up practical cooperation with South Africa. Meanwhile, China will continue to work with South Africa to promote global economic governance reform, urge developed countries to make good on their ODA commitment, improve the external environment for the development of developing countries, and help them achieve poverty reduction and development goals and successfully implement the post-2015 development agenda.

Both China and South Africa are BRICS members. Actually it is China that invited South Africa into BRICS. As the world economy is undergoing profound adjustment, BRICS countries also face some difficulties and challenges in development and cooperation. Some people think BRICS cooperation has already lost its momentum. How do you see the prospects of BRICS cooperation?

Given the current sluggish world economic growth, the BRICS countries now face growing difficulties and challenges in their economic development. However, as a Chinese saying goes, it takes a long-term view to put things into perspective. Similarly, we need to adopt a historical, long-term and holistic perspective to truly understand the development of and cooperation among the BRICS countries.

In the short run, the BRICS countries do see some moderation in their economic growth and face certain problems in structural adjustment and transition. Nonetheless, if we look beyond the immediate trend lines, these are inevitable hurdles that come with development and must be overcome in order to leap over the middle-income trap. Moreover, we have to recognize what remains unchanged. The positive fundamentals of the BRICS economies and their tremendous potential for future growth have not changed. The historical trend of their rising stature in the international political and economic landscape also remains unchanged.

Compared with the past, the economic growth of the BRICS countries may have somewhat dropped from their record high. But, compared with other countries around the world, their speed of growth remains at quite a high level, particularly when compared with that of the developed countries. Over the past decade, the BRICS countries have accounted for over 50 percent of world economic growth. According to the IMF projections, the average growth rate of the BRICS countries between 2015 and 2020 will continue to outpace the world average, which means that they will remain important drivers of world economic growth.

Internationally, the BRICS countries have been profoundly affected by inadequate global demand, lacklustre trade and investment, and weak commodity prices. Domestically, as they press ahead with economic transformation and upgrading through proactive policy readjustment, they have to pay the price and experience the growing pains. However, with the attainment of growth featuring better quality and high efficiency, their economic structure will be improved and their inherent momentum of growth will be stronger.

In recent years, cooperation among the BRICS countries have grown with far greater depth and breadth than that of the inception period. With the participation of South Africa in particular, the BRICS members have covered four continents and spanned both the North and South hemispheres. Having such growing influence and appeal, the BRICS has become a major force in the international relations and an active player in the building of international system. The BRICS countries have launched the New Development Bank and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement. These two flagship programs fully testify to the ability of BRICS countries in carrying out effective cooperation. We are convinced that as long as the BRICS countries pull in one direction, uphold the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation and work together for closer partnership, BRICS cooperation will embrace an even brighter future.