South African President Thabo Mbeki received an interview in London by Financial Times during his visit to Britain, in which he offered his views on trade, Iran's nuclear programme, and China's interest in Africa. The following is the quote concerning China from the transcript:

Q: Is China's interest in Africa's resources an opportunity or a threat?

I'm very glad that China is paying the amount of attention it is paying to Africa continent. The Chinese took the initiative a few years back to establish a China/Africa forum. That body is meeting later this year in November or thereabouts. President Hu Jintao spoke to me and said you must come. So I'll be going there. It's a fortunate thing that the China/Africa forum exists. It gives a possibility to African continent and China to discuss and define the nature of the relationship because you see there is this global problem that the Europeans have been trying to deal with clothing and textiles – and shoes - which impacts on everybody. The fact of the matter is that Chinese production - the lower costs of production - would also present the Africa continent with the challenge of small, weak industrial base on African continent having to face cheaper goods coming from China to the African continent. I'm saying what do we do about that? The forum provides a forum for that.

It's clear that the Chinese will invest on Africa continent in all sorts of ways. In the first instance in raw materials, energy and other things. And that will constitute development for the African continent. It's clear also they are making capital and expertise available for general infrastructure development. In that situation, it becomes possible to say that this cooperation results in our development and that is correct. But I'm saying there would be other elements to that economic cooperation that might have obverse result. I'm hoping that in China/Africa forum that it would be possible to say that we welcome China's involvement and interest in Africa but is there a way that we can together say that these are outcomes the cooperation must produce.

Q: Could you envisage Chinese companies buying South African ones? Would that raise strategic concerns for South Africa?

We actually have very good relations with China at government level and in instances where a matter of that kind (a foreign takeover of a South African company) would arise I'm absolutely certain that the two governments would engage. I suspect that in the event that the South African government would say to Chinese we do not believe this kind of action with regard to South Africa is in our interest and it can only spoil relations, I'm quite certain the Chinese would respond positively to that.

I am sure that they (the Chinese) would be in interested in South African companies. But I'm saying that in event of some (M&A) action to translate that interest into something else I'm sure engagement between us and the Chinese would produce sorts of results with which we would be comfortable.