At the invitation of Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni of South Africa and the governments of Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Turkey, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi will attend the 13th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisers and High Representatives on National Security in Johannesburg from July 24 to 25, and visit Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Turkey before and after the meeting.
The visit to these countries shows how much China values its relations with these countries. During the visit, Wang Yi will have meetings and talks with the leaders of the four countries respectively and exchange views extensively on bilateral relations as well as international and regional issues of mutual interest.
The Meeting of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) National Security Advisers and High Representatives on National Security is an important platform for BRICS countries to carry out political and security cooperation. China looks forward to having in-depth exchanges of views with BRICS partners on the current international security situation and issues of mutual interest at the meeting, building up consensus and deepening cooperation, so as to provide positive energy for a world that is experiencing turbulence and transformation, and make political preparation for the BRICS Summit to be held in August this year in South Africa.
China will follow the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith and its commitment to the greater good and shared interests and act in the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation to deliver on the outcomes of the eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to further boost the growth of the comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership. China will also work with Turkey to actively advance Belt and Road cooperation and the China-Turkey strategic relationship of cooperation.
The 16-year-old BRICS mechanism has become an important platform for strengthening win-win cooperation not only among the members of the five countries, but also an important force in developing the international order, enhancing global governance and promoting common development.
BRICS is an acronym for the powerful and influential alliance that brings together five of the world’s leading emerging economies, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The BRICS group of like-minded countries aims to promote peace, security, development and cooperation in the world.
Significantly, it also aims to have a positive impact on human development and create a more just and just world. Interestingly, all BRICS members are also members of the G20 group of countries, an international forum for the governments of 19 countries and the European Union, which aims to promote international financial stability.
There is no denying the growing ties between China and Africa. The unprecedented success of this partnership over a period of around 20 years has made it a benchmark for genuine multilateralism, in which each side values the other’s offer and meets it halfway.
China-Africa cooperation is based on simplicity rather than economic fads insensitive to developing countries. These include, as Chinese President Xi Jinping explains in his New Age philosophy, the virtues of “sincerity, genuine results, friendship and good faith, and the pursuit of the common good and common interests.”
The white paper titled “China and Africa in the New Era: A Partnership as Equals” documents the extraordinary journey the two have taken over the years and the strong friendship it has forged. Rather than driving them further apart, the internal and external challenges have only served to strengthen their resolve to better shape the relationship and redefine it to adapt to changing times.
The white paper addresses the need to build an even stronger Sino-African community with a shared future, strengthening mutual support and breaking new ground in partnership. This in no way means that the association is weakened or in need of a boost. It’s just natural progression, the need to reach the next level so that both parties can fulfill their potential and do more not just for their people but for the world at large.
The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) remains the flagship collaborative platform between the two countries and has continued to deliver tangible social and economic results. Another powerful tool, the Belt and Road Initiative, is tapping into a vast, untapped socio-economic space on the continent.
The iconic projects of Agenda 2063 almost intentionally mirror the pillars of FOCAC. These are high-performing sectors in infrastructure, science and technology, education, and arts and culture. In Sino-African cooperation in particular, a number of important initiatives have been conceived, launched or implemented, some jointly with other African partners.
These include the ten key cooperation programs envisioned by President Xi during the FOCAC Summit in Johannesburg in December 2015: modernization of agriculture, infrastructure, finance, green development, trade and investment facilitation, poverty alleviation, public health, cultural and personal exchanges, peace and security.
