Special Report: Premier Wen visits 7 African countries
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, June 21 (Xinhua) -- China
and South Africa Wednesday signed 13 agreements on cooperation in a wide range
of fields such as politics, economy, trade, national defense, agriculture,
technology and sciences.
The most important is the pact on deepening strategic
partnership between the two developing giants which was signed by visiting
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and South African President Thabo Mbeki.
The Chinese premier announced that China will give 20
million RMB (about 2.5 million U.S. dollars) assistance to South Africa in
offering and training various skills.
Wen Jiabao arrived in Cape Town on Wednesday
afternoon for a two-day official visit to the Republic of South Africa as the
fifth leg of his seven-nation Africa tour.
"I am visiting South Africa to strengthen China-South
Africa friendship, enhance political mutual trust, expand cooperation of mutual
benefit and promote common development," said the Chinese premier.
Reviewing the bilateral relations in the past eight
years, he said in a press conference, China is satisfied with the progress in
various kinds of cooperation with South Africa.
However, he said, it is just a start of 10,000 miles
long march in such bilateral relations, which are in the fundamental interest of
peoples of the two countries.
President Thabo Mbeki also expressed his satisfaction
about South Africa's relations with China, saying that "both governments are
indeed committed to cooperation in all fields."
Mbeki expressed his appreciation over the Chinese
assistance and said "we can meet our challenges" with the Chinese help.
Wen will also meet political figures on bilateral and
international issues, meet local entrepreneurs and attend a forum on Sino-South
African trade and investment on Thursday. Enditem
