Ms. Chichi Maponya has an interview with People's Daily Online (People's Daily Online/Huang Jin)

"South Africa is an inspiring, warm country with wonderful people just like China. We have a lot in common, and a more solid structured cultural exchange between the two countries is in need," said Chichi Maponya, CEO of Maponya Group, during an exclusive interview with People’s Daily Online.

The President of South Africa Jacob Zuma paid a four-day state visit to China from Dec. 4, 2014. President Xi Jinping had held a welcoming ceremony for Zuma at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Bilateral trade is likely to be high on the agenda, as it had doubled since 2008 to more than US$24 billion in 2013. China has also become South Africa's leading trading partner.

Maponya, who is also the founder and Director of Nalesa Resources (a women owned company focusing on mining, procurement and commodities trading), and the chairman of Brand South Africa, is one of the visiting officials. She used to be a successful businesswoman with her own enterprise. With the motivation of helping other businesses in South Africa, she started to work at the agency of Brand South Africa, aiming at improving the whole country's brand reputation so as to open up more opportunities and create a better environment for local businesses.