President Jiang Congratulates Mbeki's Inauguration 　　Thabo Mbeki was sworn in as South Africa's second ever black president here Wednesday, assuming the office of the 80-year-old Nelson Mandela, who is named as "Africa's greatest son." 　"I swear that I will be faithful to the Republic of South Africa and will obey, observe, uphold and maintain the Constitution and all other law of the republic," 56-year-old Mbeki pledged before Constitutional Court President Arthur Chaskalson in the amphitheater of the government headquarters in Pretoria. 　"We trust that what we will do will not only better our own condition as a people, but will also make a contribution, however small, to the success of Africa's renaissance, toward the identification of the century ahead of us as the African century," Mbeki said later in his acceptance speech. 　This shows that foreign policy would figure highly in Mbeki's first five years in the presidential seat, analysts here said. 　　Moreover, the South African government policy will be driven by economic considerations much more than under Mandela, the analysts　noted. 　　About 4,500 guests including Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe witnessed the swearing-in. Mbeki and Mandela sat side by side while some 20,000 tribal praise singers, dancers and spectators paid tribute. 　Some 30 foreign heads of state and government and thousands of other dignitaries attended the inauguration ceremony. Chinese Vice-Premier Qian Qichen attended the ceremony and submitted President Jiang Zemin's congratulation letter to Mbeki. HomeNews 1999-06-17 Page1 Full Story in Chinese