On March 7, Ambassador Chen Xiaodong paid a farewell visit to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the President’s residence in Pretoria.

Ambassador Chen  conveyed President Xi Jinping’s warm greetings to President Ramaphosa. He expressed gratitude to both President Ramaphosa and the South African government for valuing China-South Africa relations and  providing strong support for his work. Ambassador Chen said that under the strategic leadership of President Xi Jinping and President Ramaphosa, the   bond of “camaraderie plus brotherhood” between the two countries has been further deepened in recent years. In August last year, President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to South Africa and attended the 15th BRICS Summit, during which the two heads of state together opened up the Golden Era in China-South Africa relations. China is ready to work with South Africa to implement the important consensus of the two heads of state, strengthen dialogue, exchanges and cooperation, and take the bilateral relations to a new level. As this year marks the 30th anniversary of the founding of the new South Africa, Ambassador Chen wishes South Africa greater development under the leadership of President Ramaphosa.

President Ramaphosa asked Ambassador Chen to convey his best wishes and deep respect to President Xi Jinping. He highly appreciated Ambassador Chen’s outstanding work during his term of office and his contribution to developing South Africa-China relations, and bid farewell to Ambassador Chen as he is about to leave his post. President Ramaphosa thanked China for its valuable support for South Africa’s development, saying that the friendship between the two countries is everlasting and that China is a trusted friend and partner of South Africa. President Xi Jinping’s state visit to South Africa has driven the bilateral relations enormously. South Africa firmly supports the one-China principle, and is ready to better synergize development strategies with China, expand practical cooperation in various fields, and work for the continuous development of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.