On November 14, the Consulate General of China in Johannesburg and the Institute for Pan African Thought and Conversation (IPATC) of the University of Johannesburg jointly held a seminar on "Africa-China Relations: What does the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) bring to us?" Mr. Zhou Yujiang, Deputy Consul General of the Consulate General of China in Johannesburg, Prof. Zondi, Director of IPATC, University of Johannesburg, Dr. Mthembu, Executive Director of the Institute for Global Dialogue (IGD), University of South Africa, Dr. Matambo, Deputy Director of Centre for Africa-China Studies (CACS), University of Johannesburg, and nearly 30 experts and scholars from South African universities and think tanks participated in the seminar online or in person.

Deputy Consul General Mr. Zhou said in his speech that this year marks the 10^th anniversary of President Xi Jinping’s proposal to jointly build the “Belt and Road”. Over the past ten years, under the personal planning, deployment and promotion of President Xi Jinping, the joint construction of the Belt and Road has always adhered to the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, pursued open, green and clean cooperation concepts, aimed at high standards, sustainability, and better lives, and achieved tangible outcomes of historic significance. From October 17^th to 18^th, the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation was successfully held in Beijing. President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Forum, reviewing the achievements and successful experience of the past ten years, announcing eight major steps China will take to support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, setting a new direction, opening new vistas and generating new momentum for the BRI.

South Africa was the first African country to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on BRI cooperation with China. Over the years, the BRI has been well aligned with the South African Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan (ERRP). China and South Africa's mutually beneficial cooperation has yielded fruitful results, and became an example of the BRI's integration with Africa's development and the promotion of South-South cooperation. The De Aar Wind Farm project invested and constructed by China Longyuan Power Group in the Northern Cape Province generates more than 750 million kWh of electricity every year, which is equivalent to saving more than 200,000 tons of standard coal, offsetting over 700,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, and solving the power problem for 300,000 local residents. Hengtong Group, a Chinese enterprise, after its acquisition of Aberdare Cables located in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng Province, has sent South African students to China for skill training and provided them with jobs, which created 1,500 jobs for local communities.

In August, President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to South Africa and attended the 15th BRICS Summit. During that visit, our two leaders witnessed the signing of a bilateral cooperation document on BRI cooperation. As China-South African relations entering a ‘golden era’, our win-win cooperation enjoys broad prospects and a promising future. The consular districts of the Consulate General cover Gauteng province and the Free State province. The Consulate General is willing to work together with all sectors in the two provinces to seize good opportunities of joint pursuit of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation based on the existing fruitful outcomes, and further promote the local pragmatic cooperation and people-to-people and cultural exchanges ata deeper level and in a wider range through various channels.

The seminar discussed the outcomes and prospects of the BRI based on the African setting. Participants of the seminar introduced their respective research, emphasized that the BRI has brought tangible benefits to South Africa and Africa in terms of promoting economic development, creating job opportunities, improving skills training, etc., and explored on how African countries can engage deeply in the BRI construction.