On February 22, Chinese Ambassador to South Africa Wu Peng gave an interview to China Media Group (CMG) News Radio. Highlights of his remarks are as follows:

As early as the mid-20th century, China firmly supported the South African people in their fight against apartheid. Our two peoples have forged a profound brotherly friendship. Over the 28 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, our relations have achieved leapfrog development from a partnership to a strategic partnership, to a comprehensive strategic partnership, and further to an all-round strategic cooperative partnership in the new era.

In the past year, I have visited all nine provinces of South Africa and engaged extensively with friends from the government, political parties, businesses, think tanks, the media, and local communities. What impressed me most was the South African people’s commitment to independence, their courage in standing up to power politics, and their pursuit of fairness and justice. I believe this is also a key reason why China–South Africa relations have been able to withstand external interference and continue to deepen.

We have become like-minded partners walking the same path, because we consistently uphold the principles of mutual respect, equality, and the pursuit of development, fairness and justice.

Both sides have agreed to better align our respective agendas and become pioneers in advancing modernization together. We’ve carried out a wide range of people-to-people exchanges, including the Chinese song contest, the dialogue on arts and academic cooperation, art exhibitions, television screening events, and performances of Wu Opera from Jinhua, Zhejiang. Practical cooperation has been focused on areas of priority for South Africa, including the automotive sector, hydrogen energy, power generation, and renewable energy.

Speaking of the local culture that I admire, from the spirit of Nelson Mandela and the philosophy of Ubuntu to the multicultural coexistence embodied in the Rainbow Nation, these elements together form the most captivating cultural foundation and character of South Africa.

In the field of green energy, the Redstone Project stands as a landmark achievement and the epitome of China–South Africa clean energy cooperation. It is the first Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) molten salt tower project in sub-Saharan Africa. The local government and residents widely believe that the project is not only an energy initiative, but also a new driving force for regional sustainable development.

Political mutual trust provides strategic guidance, practical cooperation lays a solid foundation, and people-to-people exchanges add vibrancy to our relationship. Both sides will continue to expand cooperation in areas such as energy and mineral resources, the automotive and green industries, and artificial intelligence.

2026 marks the Year of China-Africa People-to-People Exchanges. We will further deepen exchanges and cooperation with South Africa in culture, education, tourism, arts, youth engagement, and other fields.

On behalf of all my colleagues at the Chinese Embassy in South Africa, I would like to extend my heartfelt Spring Festival greetings to all our friends. May you enjoy a happy Chinese New Year filled with vigor and vitality, and may all your wishes come true.