Honorable SG, Honorable Second DSG, Dr. Monyae, and Professor Tembe,
Friends from the Media,
Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends,
Good morning!
Welcome to today’s Media Briefing on Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Attendance at the 15th BRICS Summit and State Visit to South Africa.
On behalf of the Chinese Embassy in South Africa, I express my sincere gratitude to friends from all communities who have long been following China’s development and supporting China-South Africa relations.
From August 21st to 24th, at the invitation of President Ramaphosa, President Xi Jinping will attend the 15th BRICS Summit held in Johannesburg and pay a state visit to South Africa.
During the visit, President Xi Jinping and President Ramaphosa will co-chair a China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue.
This is President Xi Jinping’s first physical attendance at the BRICS Summit as well as his first visit to Africa after the 20th CPC National Congress.
The visit will go a long way to advance BRICS cooperation, China-South Africa and China-Africa relations, and will surely make important global impact.
Now please allow me to share with our media friends some basic information about President Xi Jinping’s participation in the Summit, the state visit and his chairship of the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue, after which I will be happy to take questions.
Regarding President Xi Jinping’s Attendance at the BRICS Summit:
The 15th BRICS Summit will be held in South Africa from August 22nd to 24th.
This will be the first physical BRICS Summit after three years, and also the third time that BRICS countries get together in Africa after five years. That carries special significance.
China firmly supports South Africa in hosting the Summit.
President Xi Jinping will attend the Summit and a series of other activities such as the Leaders’ Retreat and the BRICS plus dialogues.
He will also have meetings with leaders of a number of BRICS and BRICS plus or outreach countries, so as to have in-depth discussions on strengthening BRICS solidarity and cooperation, advancing BRICS expansion and other issues of common concern.
The Chinese side is confident that President Xi’s reunion with the BRICS leaders in South Africa will produce important results and inject new energy into BRICS cooperation.
First, strengthen BRICS solidarity.
After 17 years of development, BRICS has become an important platform for global cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries.
BRICS has increasingly become a staunch force in defending international justice.
The world is now witnessing constantly changing dynamics in the international situation. The traditional global governance system has become dysfunctional, deficient and missing in action.
The international community is eagerly looking forward to stronger BRICS solidarity and cooperation, so that BRICS can play a leading role to usher in new visions for world peace and development.
China has always been a staunch supporter of and participant in BRICS solidarity and cooperation.
In March 2013, when President Xi Jinping made his first trip abroad to attend an international multilateral conference as President, he was here in South Africa for the BRICS Durban Summit.
Since then, President Xi Jinping has presided over or attended BRICS Summits for 10 years in a row.
He put forward Chinese initiatives and contributed Chinese wisdom to deepening BRICS solidarity.
As BRICS leaders get together again in South Africa to discuss BRICS cooperation, the Summit will surely send more signals of BRICS solidarity and make new contributions to making the world a better place.
Second, add momentum to BRICS cooperation.
Over the past 17 years, BRICS countries have focused on shared development. BRICS continues to advance cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, energy and resources, as well as finance and monetary matters.
We also expanded cooperation in emerging areas such as the supply chain, logistics, agriculture and food security, local currency settlement and cross-border payment, vaccines and public health, which gave a strong driving force to the global growth.
China has always been an active contributor to BRICS pragmatic cooperation. President Xi Jinping put forward four major goals of building an integrated big market, ensuring sound circulation and transport connectivity at all levels, and strengthening cultural exchanges for BRICS.
President Xi Jinping put forward the idea of building an innovation center for the BRICS New Industrial Revolution partnership. This initiative plays a key role in spearheading BRICS pragmatic cooperation.
During the Summit next week, President Xi Jinping will work with other BRICS leaders to actively explore projects that meet the development needs of the five countries and the common interests of their peoples.
BRICS leaders will exchange ideas on proposals regarding further cooperation in energy, economy and trade, agriculture and other fields.
They will explore building BRICS cooperation mechanisms for young people and persons with disabilities, so as to take BRICS cooperation to a higher level.
Third, further invigorate BRICS mechanisms.
Over the past 17 years, BRICS countries adhered to the principle of openness and inclusiveness. We put into practice a brand-new concept of cooperation and held many dialogue meetings with leaders of relevant regional countries.
BRICS has made possible a dynamic for the collective rise of new major countries, which has received high recognition and trust from among the developing countries.
China has been actively promoting BRICS expansion and strengthening BRICS partnerships with other countries.
It was during China’s Chairship over the Xiamen Summit that we put forward the new concept of BRICS plus cooperation. That ushered BRICS cooperation onto a new stage.
As the world faces rising exclusiveness and protectionism, President Xi Jinping pointed out that BRICS is not an exclusive club or small circle, but a big family of good partners that is based on mutual assistance for win-win cooperation.
Last year, BRICS leaders reached a crucial consensus on BRICS expansion. The leaders supported discussions on the criteria and procedures for expansion.
So far, the international community voted in strong favor of BRICS cooperation. A total of 23 countries have formally applied to join the BRICS mechanism.
BRICS expansion has become the top trending issue at the moment. Expansion is key to enhancing BRICS mechanism’s vitality. I believe that this year’s Summit will witness new and more solid steps on this front.
Regarding President Xi Jinping's State Visit to South Africa.
President Xi Jinping’s state visit will be his fourth official visit to South Africa after five years.
As China and South Africa celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations, the visit is of great significance to the development of our ties.
China and South Africa have built a Comrades plus Brothers special bond. In the past 25 years of diplomatic relations, our relations made significant leaps from Partnership, Strategic Partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
China-South Africa ties have set a fine example for China-Africa relations and South-South cooperation.
In recent years, under the guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Ramaphosa, our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has moved toward higher quality in wider scopes and at higher levels.
On the political front, the two countries have strong mutual respect and trust. We firmly support each other on issues of our respective core interests and major concerns. We closely communicate and coordinate with each other in international affairs.
On the economic and trade front, cooperation between our two countries benefits both sides. China has been South Africa's largest trading partner for 14 years in a row and South Africa has been China’s largest trading partner in Africa for 13 years straight.
On the people-to-people front, the two countries enjoy sound mutual learning. In the beginning of this year, another meeting of the China-South Africa High-Level People-to-People and Cultural Exchange Mechanism was successfully concluded.
That gave a strong boost to the two side’s cooperation in culture, education, tourism, science and technology, health and sports.
During the state visit, President Xi Jinping and President Ramaphosa will have wide-ranging and in-depth exchanges of views on China-South Africa relations, China-Africa relations, BRICS cooperation, and international and regional issues of common concern.
The two Heads of State will review our two countries’ traditional friendship, and usher in a new chapter of cooperation that promises an even better future.
The two Presidents will also witness the signing of important bilateral cooperation documents and hold a press briefing.
These top level exchanges will highlight the strength and scope of China-South Africa relations and win-win cooperation in various fields.
The South African side attaches great importance to the state visit and made high-profile and thoughtful arrangements.
President Ramaphosa will hold a grand and warm welcoming ceremony and state banquet for President Xi Jinping to honor the South African government and people’s friendship with the Chinese people and extend a warm welcome to President Xi Jinping on his state visit.
We believe and we are confident that the state visit will provide strong guidance for the future direction of China-South Africa relations.
It will surely inject new strong impetus for all exchanges and cooperation between the two sides, and usher in a new era of China-South Africa friendship and cooperation.
First, the state visit will advance China-South Africa relations toward a new starting point.
Head-of-State diplomacy plays an important leading role in growing China-South Africa relations.
During the visit, the two Heads of State will issue a Joint Statement to further elevate our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The statement will focus on joining hands to build a high-level China-South Africa community with a shared future, and lead the way toward building a human community with a shared future.
Second, practical cooperation will achieve new results through the state visit.
During the visit, the two sides will continue to further connect high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and South Africa's economic reconstruction and recovery plans.
The focus will be on energy infrastructure, trade and investment and documents will be signed in economy and trade, electricity, science and technology.
These will all be great cooperation results that will give a boost to South Africa's growth and employment and bring benefit to the two peoples.
Third, the state visit will set a new good example for international cooperation.
China firmly supports South Africa’s BRICS Chairship and we appreciate the important role that South Africa has played in the development of FOCAC and China-Africa relations.
South Africa also highly appreciates China’s important contribution to the cause of peaceful development in Africa, to BRICS mechanisms and to South-South cooperation.
The two Heads of State will have in-depth exchanges on current major international and regional issues and closely coordinate and cooperate in international affairs and multilateral institutions.
The two Presidents will strengthen their commitment to international fairness and justice, to the peace and development of all countries, and join hands to safeguard the common interests of developing countries.
On the two Heads of State Co-chairing the China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of President Xi Jinping's first visit to Africa.
It is also the 10th anniversary of when President Xi Jinping put forward China’s Africa policy, including sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, and pursuing the greater good and shared interests as well as the Belt and Road Initiative.
During the past decade, President Xi Jinping made four visits to Africa, and two FOCAC Summits have been held, which ushered in a new era of building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future.
In order to advance China-Africa cooperation in the new era to the benefit of all people of China and Africa, President Xi Jinping and President Ramaphosa jointly proposed to hold a China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.
This is a timely and significant proposal.
The dialogue will be held during the late afternoon of August 24, with a theme of “Promoting African Integration and Jointly Building A High-Level China-Africa Community with A Shared Future”.
The two sides have agreed to invite the President of Senegal, which is the current FOCAC African co-chair, and the current AU rotating Chair, President of the Comoros.
We will also invite leaders of countries representing the eight Regional Economic Communities in Africa.
The Chinese and African leaders will jointly draw a blueprint for the priority areas and key directions of China-Africa cooperation in the future, especially in areas related to people’s livelihood and employment in Africa.
The initiatives will be in line with the needs of Africa's economic restructuring and upgrading.
They will focus on connecting China's strengths and Africa's endowments, and further elevating China-Africa cooperation to a higher level.
After the Dialogue, President Xi Jinping and President Ramaphosa will issue a joint statement with African leaders, which will focus on China-Africa solidarity and cooperation, upholding international justice, enhancing mutual support on issues of core interests, and achieving shared development and win-win cooperation.
China will announce practical initiatives to support Africa's industrialization, agriculture modernization, and the training of Chinese and African talents, so as to boost Africa's modernization and integration process.
China looks forward to using the dialogue as an opportunity to have in-depth exchanges of views with the African side on promoting traditional friendship, consolidating mutual political trust, strengthening strategic communication and deepening practical cooperation.
We look forward to making comprehensive plans for growing China-Africa relations in the new era, and to opening a new chapter in building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends,
In two days’ time, South Africa will once again enjoy the whole world’s attention.
All eyes will be on how stronger BRICS cooperation, China-South Africa relations and China-Africa relations will continue to contribute to regional and global peace and development.
Let us all look forward to President Xi Jinping's trip to South Africa, which will inject fresh impetus into BRICS cooperation, break new visions for China-South Africa relations and add new shine to China-Africa cooperation.
It will provide more Chinese energy to maintain world stability and prosperity, sound multilateralism, and efforts to foster a community with a shared future for mankind.
All our friends from the media are more than welcome to deliver in-depth and positive coverage on President Xi Jinping's trip to South Africa, so as to convey to people of BRICS and African countries and the whole world the exciting and positive results of the visit.
Now I am ready to answer your questions.
I thank you.
Journalist: Your Excellency just talked about BRICS expansion. May I ask what type of substantive results will this BRICS Summit make on expansion? Why are so many countries working hard to join BRICS?
Ambassador Chen: Thank you for your question. China has always advocated that the BRICS countries need to uphold openness and inclusiveness and strengthen dialogue and cooperation with the vast number of emerging markets and developing countries.
We have always been a strong supporter and promoter of BRICS expansion. Like-minded partners are welcome to join the BRICS family at an early date.
Since early this year, the South African Chairship has worked to see BRICS countries made expansion one of their priorities for the year. There have been a number of thematic meetings on the issue and positive consensus has been achieved.
This shows that BRICS countries do mean business about BRICS expansion.
I am confident that during the Summit, BRICS countries will move forward with new steps and achieve new results on this front. Let us all look forward to that.
As I just mentioned, BRICS expansion has received very positive response by many countries.
So far, 23 countries have formally expressed their wish to join BRICS. Many of them have done so by having top leaders send written letters. This fully demonstrates the vitality, impact and attractiveness of the BRICS mechanism.
In my opinion, there are several main reasons why so many countries strongly wish to join the BRICS.
First, BRICS countries are increasingly influential in the international arena.
The five BRICS countries account for 42 percent of world population, 26 percent of land area, 31 percent of economic output and 18 percent of trade volume.
Also, BRICS countries have 14 percent of both IMF quotas and World Bank voting power.
Through the BRICS Dialogue and BRICS plus models, BRICS countries have built close cooperation with a wide range of emerging markets and developing countries.
BRICS influence in the United Nations, the WTO, the G20 and other major global multilateral cooperation mechanisms has been expanding. It rises above only five countries or our regions, and is producing worldwide impact.
Secondly, success of BRICS cooperation greatly boosted developing countries’ confidence.
After 17 years of development, the foundation of BRICS cooperation has been strengthened and its scope has been gradually expanded.
There have been fruitful results achieved in areas including trade and investment, energy and resources, as well as finance and monetary matters.
In recent years, BRICS countries have also strengthened cooperation in wide areas such as supply chain, logistics, agriculture and food security, local currency settlement and cross-border payment, vaccines, and public health.
BRICS countries have prioritized global development and joined hands to implement UN Agenda 2030, so as to enhance the well-being of all peoples of BRICS countries and beyond.
Thirdly, BRICS countries are committed to constructive changes in the international system. We have become an important force in upholding international justice and promoting greater democracy in international relations.
At present, the world is witnessing unprecedented changes.
As representatives of the vast number of emerging market countries and developing countries, BRICS countries have forged ahead and adhered to the BRICS spirit of openness, inclusiveness, cooperation and win-win situation.
BRICS countries pioneered and promoted fostering a new pattern of emerging countries rising up as a group.
In the face of the mounting exclusiveness and protectionism, BRICS cooperation will not degenerate into an exclusive small circle. Instead, BRICS will persist on openness and cooperation.
In the face of the unilateral sanctions and long arm jurisdiction wielded by some countries, BRICS countries stay committed to dialogue and consultation on an equal footing.
More and more countries hope to safeguard their legitimate interests by joining BRICS. That reflects the popular belief and general momentum of the international community.
I thank you.
Journalist: In recent years, there have been fruitful results in China-South Africa cooperation. Can you please share with us more highlights of practical cooperation outcomes of the state visit?
Ambassador Chen: Thank you for the question. Practical cooperation is the highlight of China-South Africa cooperation and the foundation of our relations.
When the global economy and trade lacks momentum, China-South Africa practical cooperation has shown strong resilience and vitality and brought huge benefits to the two peoples.
During the visit, our Presidents will witness the signing of a series of key cooperation documents. It is likely that they will reach key consensus in various areas.
The visit will have three highlights on the practical front:
First is stronger connection in development strategies. During the past decade since the Belt and Road initiative came into being, the BRI has become an international cooperation forum featuring openness, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation.
South Africa was among the first countries to sign Belt and Road MOUs with China. During the visit, our two sides will continue to explore how to deepen connection between the BRI and South Africa’s economic reconstruction and recovery plans.
The focus will be on infrastructure, trade and investment, energy and green development cooperation. New results of Belt and Road cooperation will inject fresh impetus into South Africa’s development.
Second is fast growing trade. The Chinese and South African economies are highly complementary with each other and there is big potential in economic and trade cooperation.
China has been South Africa’s top trading partner for 14 years straight. China-South Africa trade reached over 28 billion US dollars for the first half of this year, up by nearly 12 percent.
At the same time, our investment cooperation is also moving forward very well.
During the visit, the two sides will reach key consensus on investment cooperation and promoting South African exports to China. That will further leverage China’s superb strength in having a huge market and unleash South Africa’s advantages.
It will surely boost South Africa’s economic growth and improve people’s lives here.
Third, stronger momentum in new energy cooperation. Both China and South Africa face historic tasks of advancing energy transition. New energy cooperation has increasingly become drivers and highlights of our economic and trade cooperation.
In recent years, Chinese companies have taken part in many big new energy projects in South Africa through investment or contracting.
Back in June, our two countries successfully held a New Energy Investment Cooperation Conference and reached many common understandings.
During the state visit, the two sides will actively explore ways to strengthen new energy cooperation. That will be helpful for easing South Africa’s electricity shortages and boost the green and sustainable development for both our economies.
I thank you.
Journalist: The China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue will be a major highlight of the BRICS Leaders' Meeting. What are the reasons for China and South Africa to jointly initiate this dialogue?
Ambassador Chen: Thank you for your question.
First of all, to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with African countries has always been a priority of China's diplomacy.
Whether from fighting for national liberation to exploring a path toward modernization, or from fighting Ebola to battling COVID-19, China has always stood by Africa no matter what changes are taking place in the international landscape.
Over the past decade, China-Africa relations have pressed the accelerator button and entered the fast lane under the guidance of China’s Africa policy proposed by President Xi Jinping, including sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, and pursuing the greater good and shared interests.
The joint initiative of President Xi Jinping and President Ramaphosa to hold the China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue will undoubtedly provide new impetus for deepening China-Africa cooperation.
Secondly, BRICS mechanisms need to be strengthened to better connect with Africa.
BRICS is an important platform for cooperation between emerging market countries and developing countries. Africa happens to be the continent with the biggest number of developing countries. So it is natural for BRICS to strengthen cooperation with Africa.
The South African chairship has been holding a series of BRICS activities focusing on Africa this year.
The BRICS Summit’s theme is anchored on Africa and the five key areas of focus are all closely related to Africa.
This dialogue is highly in line with the theme of the BRICS Leaders' Meeting, and will be a powerful initiative to promote better interface between BRICS and Africa.
Third, the Dialogue will promote international cooperation with Africa.
China-Africa cooperation has set a fine example for South-South cooperation and international cooperation with Africa.
China has always been committed to promoting sound international cooperation with Africa. China calls on the international community to show more concern and support for Africa.
What Africa needs is a peaceful and friendly environment for cooperation, not a cold war mentality of “I win, you lose”. What Africa welcomes is win-win cooperation for the benefit of its people, not a major country power game of geopolitical rivalry.
This dialogue and its outcomes will further release an important signal for China to accelerate cooperation with Africa, guide international community toward the right direction in cooperation with Africa, and see that all parties will make available more resources towards Africa for the well-being of all African peoples.
I thank you.