Your Excellency, Vice President Li Yuanchao;
Ministers;
Deputy Ministers;
Senior officials;
Ladies and Gentlemen:
It is a great pleasure and indeed an honour for me to once again visit the People’s Republic of China and to co-chair this 5th South Africa-China Bi-National Commission.
This is a most auspicious year as we celebrate 15 years of diplomatic relations between our countries.
In this time our relations have been growing from strength to strength, going through three principal stages from a partnership to strategic one and finally to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
This year is also important because it has ushered in a new leadership in the People’s Republic of China.
It is in this context that I congratulate you on being an integral part of this leadership.
We are confident that with your proven talents and vision our Bi-National Commission will be given further impetus and direction that will lead to the achievement of our shared objectives.
Your Excellency;
Today provides us with the opportunity to review the work that has been undertaken by the respective sectoral committees since the 4th BNC which took place in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2010.
The results of this partnership speak for themselves; as China has become South Africa’s single largest trading partner in the world and South Africa, China’s largest trading partner in Africa.
We are encouraged by the growing presence of Chinese companies in varied sectors of the South African economy.
An example of these aforementioned collaborations is the partnership China South Rail for the production of the Transnet locomotives in South Africa which will act as a catalyst for the revival of our own locomotives manufacturing and stimulate associated industries such as the steel fabrication and engineering sectors.
We would like to see greater participation of Chinese companies such as in renewable energy, mining, banking, manufacturing, and rail infrastructure.
We will be able to stimulate different sectors of the South African economy through local procurement of inputs, technology transfers and skills development.
Your Excellency;
During the state visit of His Excellency, President Xi Jinping to South Africa, in March this year, we declared 2014 as South Africa-Year in China and 2015 China-year in South Africa.
This will promote people-to-people contact as well as cultural exchange between our countries.
We are looking forward to receiving the reports from the respective Sectoral Committees on Foreign Affairs, Energy, Mining, Science and Technology as well as the Joint Committee on Trade and Investment.
For the future development of the BNC, I would suggest that we include Science and Technology as well as Education.
We are also looking forward to the addition of new sectoral committees to this BNC as a mechanism for sustaining our comprehensive strategic partnership.
Your Excellency;
As we have consistently stated, South Africa’s destiny is inextricably linked with that of the African Continent.
As such, we look forward to more partnerships between South African and Chinese State Owned Enterprises.
Such tripartite partnership will contribute towards regional development and integration as espoused by the African Union and its constituent Regional Economic Communities.
Your Excellency;
As I conclude, it is now my pleasure to invite the co-chairs to give us their reports.
I look forward to our fruitful discussions.
Thank you!
