On the morning of September 3rd, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in Shenzhen, where he attended a high-level roundtable meeting with Chinese enterprises and delivered a speech. He also visited technology companies including BYD to gain a firsthand understanding of Guangdong's economic and social development, further promoting friendly exchanges and pragmatic cooperation between the two sides. This visit marked the only destination outside Beijing during his China trip.
During his stay in Shenzhen, Ramaphosa remarked that Guangdong serves as the forefront of China's reform and opening-up, boasting robust economic strength and strong momentum for scientific innovation. He expressed his deep admiration for Shenzhen, which has become a model of high-quality development after more than 40 years of development.
In fact, this was not Ramaphosa's first visit to Shenzhen. In July 2015, when he was the Deputy President of South Africa, Ramaphosa paid an official visit to China. At that time, he noted that South Africa was planning to establish special economic zones and looked forward to closer cooperation with Shenzhen in special zone planning and construction, as well as talent cultivation, among others. He also welcomed more Shenzhen enterprises to invest in South Africa.
In recent years, Chinese enterprises have actively participated in the development of special economic zones in South Africa. Meanwhile, South Africa has attached great importance to learning from China's experience in establishing special economic zones.
Last August, the presidents of the two countries witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in special economic zones and industrial parks between the Ministry of Commerce of China and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition of South Africa.
Since its establishment as a Special Economic Zone in 1980, Shenzhen has set a global example for such a zone. During his stay in Shenzhen, Ramaphosa stated that South Africa is currently exploring ways to advance modernization in line with its national conditions.
He expressed his hope to use this visit as an opportunity to further promote exchanges between people and enterprises from the two countries, deepen the sharing of experiences in areas such as local governance and economic development, and continuously expand cooperation in fields such as economic and trade investment, infrastructure, and technological innovation, thereby adding vitality to the new development of South Africa-China relations.
"We warmly welcome Guangdong enterprises to invest and start businesses in South Africa, contributing to the modernization of our country. South Africa will actively respond to the needs of enterprises and create a favorable development environment," said Ramaphosa.
Guangdong's unique advantages in cooperation with Africa
This year has seen a series of visits to Shenzhen by heads of state or government from countries including Uzbekistan, the Federated States of Micronesia, Suriname, Tunisia, Pakistan, Peru, Vanuatu, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. During these visits, local tech giants have been "must-visit" destinations, which are closely related to the key areas of cooperation between the two sides.
On the afternoon of September 3rd, President Ramaphosa and his delegation visited BYD's headquarters in Pingshan District, Shenzhen. They watched the "black tech" demonstrations of BYD's vehicles, such as the dancing and leaping Yangwang U9, and gained an intimate glimpse into the features of BYD's various models and its multiple technological innovations. In the puncture test laboratory, Ramaphosa observed a demonstration of BYD's Blade Battery passing a nail penetration test.
"This is one of the best cars I've ever seen, and I hope it comes to South Africa!" exclaimed Ramaphosa upon seeing the Yangwang U8. After taking a test drive, he commented on how comfortable it was and inquired about when the model would be available in South Africa.
Since 2021, BYD's electric buses have undergone a series of real-world tests in South Africa, paving the way for future cooperation. In July this year, BYD South Africa signed an order agreement with Golden Arrow, a premier South African bus operator for 120 electric buses. The delivery of the buses is scheduled to commence by the end of this year, with plans for full delivery by the end of next year.
As China's largest province in terms of economy, foreign trade, and overseas Chinese affairs, Guangdong possesses unique resource advantages in its cooperation with Africa. For instance, many of the overseas Chinese in South Africa can trace their ancestry back to Guangdong, including Cantonese from Nanhai District and Shunde District, as well as Hakka people from Meixian District.
Currently, Guangdong and South Africa maintain close ties through their sister cities, forging a bond that spans decades. The friendship between Durban, South Africa, and Guangzhou dates back to 2000 when they established friendship city relations. In 2003, Guangzhou Port and Durban Port also forged a friendship, while Zhanjiang City and the iLembe District became international friendship cities in 2009. In 2015, Shenzhen City and Cape Town built a friendly relationship, and in 2016, Guangdong Province and KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa became friendship provinces.
This friendship continues to flourish among the younger generation. In 2014, Durban Music School and Guangzhou Tieyi Middle School signed an agreement to become sister schools. Since then, the two schools have deepened their exchanges, with teachers and students from both institutions visiting each other, performing together, and even jointly organizing the cloud concert "Musical Friendship Over the Rainbow", further enhancing mutual understanding through these interactions.
Photo | Nanfang Plus
Editor | Liao Ying, Yu Lulu, Holly, Nina, James
