On June 30, Minister Li Zhigang at the Chinese Embassy in South Africa chaired an open day event for student representatives majoring in international relations and diplomacy from the University of Pretoria. Ms. Yoliswa Mvebe, Director of the China Division of the South African Department of International Relations & Cooperation, and Ms. Bulelwa Kiva, Director of the Horn of Africa Division, were in attendance.

Under the guidance of Minister Li Zhigang, the students toured the embassy's public areas with great interest, viewing pictures of China-South African diplomatic interactions and watching short video clip about China-South Africa friendly relations. Minister Li Zhigang said that China and South Africa enjoy a special bond of "comradeship plus brotherhood". He expressed the hope that students could seize the occasion of the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and South Africa and the BRICS "Year of South Africa" to keep abreast of and contribute to the development of bilateral relations.

During the interaction session, the South African students were keen to raise questions and voice their opinions. They expressed great admiration for China's development achievements and strong desire to support the development of China-South Africa relations, believing that the relations between the two countries will continue to reach new heights.