Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a congratulatory message to the inaugural meeting of China-South Africa High-Level People-to-People Exchange Mechanism held in Pretoria, South Africa, expressing great expectation about the mechanism.
In the message, Xi noted that the China-South Africa comprehensive strategic partnership has kept a strong growth momentum in recent years and brought real benefits to the peoples of both countries.
The mechanism is the first of its kind between China and an African country and an important follow-up action to implement the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Johannesburg Summit, Xi said in the congratulatory message.
The launch of the mechanism will also consolidate the foundation for China-South Africa ties, he said.
Xi said a ministerial-level meeting on China-Africa health cooperation will also be held as part of the exchange mechanism.
Health is an important part of the friendly cooperation between China and Africa, Xi said, expressing his hope that all parties concerned will work together to advance China-Africa health cooperation and bring benefits to people on both sides.
Hailing the long history of China-South Africa friendship while acknowledging the commonality of the Chinese dream of great national rejuvenation and the African dream envisaged in Agenda 2063, Xi said China is willing to work with South Africa and other African countries to jointly open up a new era of win-win cooperation and common development.
South African President Jacob Zuma also sent a message to the meeting, saying that the mechanism is "yet another sign of excellent bilateral relations between our two countries."
Zuma said he believed that the mechanism will advance the two countries' exchanges and bilateral cooperation in related fields, deepen mutual understanding between the two peoples, and steer the relations between the two countries to new heights.
