Interview: Cooperation with China brings opportunities, not risks -- S. African envoy

CHANGSHA, June 30 (Xinhua) -- South Africa doesn't buy the "de-risking" rhetoric about China, but sees a lot of opportunities in cooperation with the world's second-largest economy, a South African envoy has said.

"Among the new fields we need to enhance our cooperation are digital economy and e-commerce," said South African Ambassador to China Siyabonga Cyprian Cwele in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Students from many African countries are coming to China to learn knowledge and experience about e-commerce and online trade, which are developing fast in China, said the ambassador, who travelled to Changsha in central China's Hunan Province, which boasts strong cooperative links with Africa, to attend the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo held from Thursday to Sunday.

The expanding scope of cooperation is a testament to the longstanding and flourishing economic ties between the two countries, said Cwele, who conducted a live-streamed sales event to promote African specialties among local citizens before talking with Xinhua here on Wednesday.

Data released by the Chinese government showed that from January to December 2022, the trade volume between China and South Africa amounted to 378.8 billion RMB (52.2 billion U.S. dollars), representing a year-on-year growth of 8.5 percent.

China has also maintained its position as South Africa's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years, while South Africa has been China's largest trading partner in Africa for 13 consecutive years.

"We see the booming trade as a win-win situation which keeps growing," Cwele said. "And the massive growth in bilateral trade has been translated into direct benefits to our people."

As an important participant in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), South Africa, the ambassador said, has seen positive results since it joined the initiative in 2015.

"More Chinese companies are coming to South Africa to invest heavily in fields like infrastructure," he said, adding that the construction of roads and bridges by China has not only facilitated connections of different regions and transportation of goods within the country, but also strengthened the economic links among different countries of the whole continent.

South Africa welcomes more Chinese companies to participate in the African country's development and cooperate with local companies in critical sectors including digital technologies and 5G, said Cwele.

On the "de-risking" approach toward China peddled by some China-bashers in the West, the ambassador said bluntly, "We don't buy it."

"It doesn't exist," he said, "because China never tries to change our culture, never tries to change our way of life or doing business, and never tries to change our political system."

"Chinese companies are creating jobs in South Africa; Chinese people are helping us to modernize our economy; Our companies are making good profits from China," Cwele said. "So we are happy with the relationship with China, and we will continue to encourage it."