President Ramaphosa concludes visit to China
President Cyril Ramaphosa has returned to South Africa following his two-pronged visit to the People’s Republic of China where he was hosted on a State Visit and co-chaired the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit from 2 to 4 September 2018.
During the State Visit, South Africa and China entered into several agreements, with one agreement alone worth over R14 billion, and signed a number of Memoranda of Understanding (MoU), that pave the way for economic growth, educational opportunities and job creation in South Africa.
President Ramaphosa has described the 2018 FOCAC Summit as a huge success with nearly all of the $60 billion investment and assistance projects of the 2015 Johannesburg FOCAC declaration implemented.
The 2018 FOCAC Summit in Beijing adopted a declaration and announced the allocation of another $60 billion to investment and assistance projects across the African continent in the areas of infrastructure and skills development and other important initiatives.
President Ramaphosa said African countries at FOCAC welcomed their win-win relationship with the People’s Republic of China and valued the support China provided to partners in Africa who wished to exercise their right to development through industrialisation.
The President said African countries and China realised the need to address the issue of trade imbalance between China and African countries.
“Many countries had a sense that in China we have a meaningful partner who is not just there to plunder from the African continent, but a partner who wants to assist fellow partners to reach higher levels of industrialisation”, said President Ramaphosa.
The President called on South African companies to work in partnership, consolidate South African interests on the African continent and to collaborate with China on projects in line with South Africa’s development and integration objectives.
President Ramaphosa said South Africa was honoured to have co-chaired the Forum with China alongside host President Xi Jinping and wished incoming co-chair President Mackey Sall of Senegal well in his new role.
In Beijing, President Ramaphosa paid a courtesy call at technology giant Huawei's Beijing Executive Briefing Centre, where he met Huawei group founder Mr Ren Zhengfei.
President Ramaphosa also travelled to Hangzhou where he visited the headquarters of the leading e-commerce group, Alibaba, and met the group's founder, Mr Jack Ma.
The President’s visit to Huawei was in line with exploring innovative ways to strengthen the fight against crime through the use of modern technology.
The Alibaba visit aimed to assist the South African small business sector, especially in rural communities, as the group specialises in e-commerce. The group is at its final stage of planning opportunities for South Africans, especially youth, to help South Africa leverage the Fourth Industrial revolution.
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