What To Expect From China’s State Visit To South Africa

President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa is set to welcome President Xi Jinping of China on a state visit to Pretoria.

The visit will include the usual ceremonies, such as the inspection of a guard of honour, a closed-door bilateral meeting with Ramaphosa and his cabinet members, and a 21-gun salute by the South African National Defence Force.

The visit comes as the 15th Brics summit is about to take place, where world leaders will discuss economic and geopolitical matters. China and South Africa are celebrating 25 years of diplomatic relations.

Ramaphosa highlighted that this is Xi’s fourth state visit to South Africa. Bilateral trade between the two countries has grown significantly, but Ramaphosa mentioned that there is a trade deficit that they hope to address.

They aim to increase the entry of South African goods, products, and services into the Chinese market.

Energy cooperation is a focus area between the two countries, with about 200 Chinese companies operating in this sector in South Africa.

The visit will also reflect on the comprehensive strategic partnership between the nations and explore ways to deepen cooperation.

The visit marks the culmination of discussions between the two governments on various structures, including the binational commission, joint working group, people-to-people exchange mechanism, and strategic dialogue.

The discussions will explore further collaboration and partnerships to strengthen existing diplomatic, economic, and people-to-people relations between China and South Africa.