Chinese president pledges to further ties with South Africa

Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged in Fortaleza on Monday to uplift China-South Africa ties to a new level.[Special coverage]

Xi met with South African President Jacob Zuma as one of the sideline events of the BRICS summit, due to be held on Tuesday and Wednesday in Fortaleza and Brasilia of Brazil, respectively.

The Chinese president said during his South Africa tour last year, the two countries agreed to take their relations as a strategic supporting point and a priority of each other's overall foreign policy.

The past year and more has witnessed smooth implementation of the consensus reached in the previous visit, as Xi put it, adding that such moves "promote the convergence of interests and common development of both China and South Africa."

Xi pledged to take advantages of such development momentum so as to uplift China-South Africa ties to a new height.

In specific cooperative areas, Xi mentioned that the two sides could carry out cooperation in energy, mineral resources, agriculture, infrastructure, rail locomotive and nuclear energy.

Xi also welcomed Zuma for paying a visit to China in the second half of 2014, during which the two countries could blueprint cooperation programs in the future.

On China-Africa relations, Xi said that peace and development remain the theme in the African continent. "China is ready to share its development experience with African countries, actively participate in security affairs in Africa, and carry out projects to improve trans-national and trans-regional interconnectivity in the continent, so as to make greater contribution to African integration process," he said.

China is also willing to further new type of China-Africa strategic partnership within the framework of China-Africa Cooperation Forum, he said.

Zuma said South Africa hopes to strengthen its comprehensive strategic partnership with China and its communication and coordination with China on major international and regional affairs.

South Africa welcomes Chinese investment in the country and he himself looks forward to visiting China later this year, Zuma said.

The ministerial meeting of China-Africa Cooperation Forum is scheduled in South Africa in 2015. "We are ready to work with China to ensure Africa-China cooperation bears more results," he said.