China stands ready to work with South Africa to promote the BRICS cooperative mechanism and maintain its momentum of development, Chinese President Xi Jinping said during a phone call with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday afternoon.

Noting that China is this year's chair of BRICS, Xi called for member countries to build a more comprehensive, close, pragmatic and inclusive partnership of high quality to realize their own development and promote a stronger, greener and healthier global development.

The Chinese side is also ready to work with all the other members to uphold genuine multilateralism, safeguard international fairness and justice, and protect the legitimate rights and common interests of emerging markets and developing countries to contribute to a stable world economic recovery and advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, said Xi.

Ramaphosa said South Africa supports China's work as the chair of BRICS and looks forward to a successful BRICS Summit.

On January 1, 2022, China officially took over the chairmanship of BRICS, an emerging-market bloc that groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and will host a series of activities including the 14th BRICS Summit in the course of the year.

'Comrades and brothers'

President Xi said that China and South Africa have a special relationship of "comrades and brothers," adding that to consolidate and develop the bilateral relations is of great importance to China's relations with Africa as a whole and to the unity and cooperation among developing countries.

China is ready to work with South Africa to promote the bilateral relations to advance with higher quality, in more extensive areas and at deeper levels, he said.

Both sides should continue to firmly support each other on issues related to each other's core interests and major concerns, Xi added.

Efforts should also be made to speed up the implementation of the nine projects adopted in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and of the 10-year strategic plan on cooperation between China and South Africa, he said.

China welcomes more imports of quality South African products, and supports the two sides to expand cooperation in new energy, e-commerce and other emerging areas, Xi said.

He added that China encourages the Chinese businesses to invest in the African country, and is ready to explore cooperation in vaccine production and support it and other African countries to fight against the pandemic.

Ramaphosa hailed China as a reliable and genuine partner and friend of South Africa and all the African countries, and thanked China's adherence to impartiality, and its assistance in helping them overcome difficulties.

South Africa is committed to the one-China principle, and supports China's position on major issues such as that concerning its Tibet Autonomous Region, he said.

At this difficult time in the world, he said, South Africa will maintain close ties with China, consolidate the friendship, and continue the fine tradition of mutual support and assistance to deepen practical cooperation in various fields between the two countries and further the Africa-China comprehensive strategic cooperation.

The two leaders exchanged views on the Ukraine situation, agreeing that China and South Africa share a similar stance on Ukraine, and that a sovereign country has the right to decide its own position independently. Both China and South Africa support Russia and Ukraine to maintain the momentum of peace talks and resolve disputes through dialogue and negotiations, they added.