On July 13, 2023, Ambassador Chen Xiaodong and President Ramaphosa attended Huawei's Innovation Center Launching Ceremony and delivered remarks.
Ambassador Chen pointed out that this year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Africa, as well as the South Africa year for BRICS. China-South Africa relations are facing new opportunities. Under the personal guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Ramaphosa, the China-South Africa Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has been enjoying development with higher quality, at higher levels and across a wider scope.
The digital economy has increasingly become an important area of China-South Africa business cooperation. China strongly supports the growth of South Africa's digital economy, and is ready to work with South Africa to accelerate 5G application and jointly embrace the Fourth Industrial Revolution, so as to foster new highlights and new drivers for China-South Africa practical cooperation. Ambassador Chen also expressed his appreciation to Huawei for taking root in South Africa, boosting the local ICT sector and contributing to deeper China-South Africa cooperation in ICT and digital economy.
In his speech, President Ramaphosa commended the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between South Africa and China, as well as the outstanding contributions made by Huawei and other Chinese enterprises to South Africa’s economic and social development. He identified with President Xi Jinping's description of “science and technology as a primary productive force, talent as a primary resource, and innovation as a primary driver of growth". He explained that the ICT sector has become one of South Africa’s most attractive industries for investment, with substantial growth potential.
The Center brings together Huawei’s different business units in a collaboration hub with local partners, app developers and government departments, providing a great platform for self-employment, government services and economic growth. The President hopes to see Huawei's continued efforts to support South Africa's SMMEs, cultivate more local digital talent, and help South Africa and the African continent leapfrog into the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Chen Lei, President of Huawei Southern Africa Region, thanked President Ramaphosa and the South African government for their firm support. He said that South Africa is setting a fine example in Africa and beyond in areas such as 5G deployment and 5G-driven industrial digital transformation. Huawei will continue to make new contributions to South Africa's ICT infrastructure and digital economy. The company fully supports the South African government's efforts to provide digital skills training for the youth, and will work to enable more young people to join in and benefit from the digital economy.
Participants of the ceremony included South African Minister of Small Business Development Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga, Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Philly Mapulane, Deputy Minister of Police Cassel Mathale, and Huawei South Africa CEO Meng Wei.