On June 29, the Chinese Embassy in South Africa held the reception, celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Hong Kong’s Return to the Motherland. Minister of Public Service and Administration of South Africa Faith Muthambi attended the reception as the guest of honor, and delivered a speech. Senior government officials, representatives from South African parliament and army, ambassadors as well as over 400 guests from various social sectors attended the reception.

Mr. Li Song, Charge d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in South Africa, introduced Hong Kong’s achievements over the past 20 years, and highly praised the principles of "one country, two systems". Over the past 20 years, Hong Kong has maintained a prosperous and stable economy, made solid progress in its democratic development, and become an increasingly influential member of the international community. It fully proves that “one country, two systems” is not only the best solution to the Hong Kong question left over from history, but also the best institutional arrangement for the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong after its return to the motherland.

Mr. Li Song said Hong Kong will embrace a world of new opportunities from the uniquely combined advantages of “one country” and “two systems”. Hong Kong will remain a free port, and will continue to play its role as a global center for finance, trade, and shipping. With the staunch support of the Chinese Central Government, under the strong leadership of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, and with strong support of South Africa and other members of the international community, Hong Kong will shine even more brightly and will embrace an even better tomorrow.

Mr. Li Song emphasized that the past 20 years has also been a period of rapid development for China-South Africa relations. In the space of 20 years, relations between China and South Africa have achieved a triple jump, from partnership to strategic partnership, and then to comprehensive strategic partnership, which is underpinned by three major pillars: strategic mutual trust, economic and trade cooperation, and people-to-people exchange. As China and South Africa jointly move to implement the outcomes of the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation co-chaired by President Xi Jinping and President Jacob Zuma in December 2015, there has been tremendous efforts to promote practical cooperation between China and South Africa across the board. This April, China and South Africa established the High Level People-to-People Exchange Mechanism. By working together, there will be new achievements and new upgrades in China-South Africa relations.

Minister Muthambi congratulated on the 20th Anniversary of Hong Kong’s Return to the Motherland. She said that Hong Kong has grown and matured as China’s renowned international city over the past 20 years, and the successful implementation of “One country, two systems” has allowed Hong Kong to seize new opportunities for further economic development. She stressed the importance of the comprehensive strategic partnership of South Africa and China, reviewed the State Visit in recent years, and highly commended the cooperation between South Africa and China on critical issues such as the reform of multilateral institutions, financial governance, the global economy and climate change.

The reception enjoys a number of spotlights including graceful chorus, wonderful photo exhibition, traditional performance of lion dance and delicious Hong Kong food. Guests all spoke highly of the reception, praised achievements of Hong Kong and success of “One country, two systems”, and wished stronger China-South Africa and China-Africa relations.

Appendix: