2023 marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Africa. Over the past 25 years, China and South Africa have deepened bilateral relations in various fields and achieved fruitful results in practical cooperation. Xie Shengwen, South Africa's ambassador to China, said in an exclusive interview that the the Belt and Road Initiative has promoted a large number of cooperation projects, and investment cooperation between the two countries has been deepening, bringing win-win results to both countries. He expressed his expectation for broader cooperation between the two countries in infrastructure construction, digital green economy, energy, finance and other fields in the future.

The economic cooperation between China and South Africa is full of vitality. Xie Shengwen stated that in the past 25 years, the bilateral trade volume has increased from $1.4 billion in 1998 to $56.7 billion in 2022. Since 2009, China has been South Africa's largest trading partner. Similarly, since 2010, South Africa has also been China's largest trading partner in Africa.

South Africa's main export products to China include iron ore, steel, agricultural products, chemical products, as well as wood and pulp. The main products imported by South Africa from China include mechanical equipment, steel products, chemicals, textiles, as well as vehicles and ships. Xie Shengwen stated that currently, more than 180 Chinese companies have successfully conducted business in South Africa, covering areas such as energy, mining, technology, automotive industry, heavy equipment, and financial services.Editor/Ma Xue