On the occasion of Chinese President Xi Jinping attending the 15th BRICS Summit and paying a state visit to South Africa, the multilingual version of the second season of the series "Classics Quoted by Xi Jinping" was launched in South Africa's Johannesburg on Sunday and will be broadcast on 62 mainstream media in 38 countries in Africa.

Produced by China Media Group, the documentary series compiles the classical allusions Xi quoted in his speeches and articles. His deep understanding of Chinese culture and love for the country and its people are reflected in various topics, which highlight the value of Chinese culture in the new era against a global background. 

The program will introduce Chinese wisdom from the classics to audiences in African countries. It also aims to help people understand the charm of traditional Chinese culture, the code of success in the governance of China in the new era and the spiritual origin of Chinese modernization.

Deputy President of South Africa Paul Mashatile, also deputy president of the governing African National Congress party said in a speech that the series is a classical work with historical significance and he wishes the series' premiere in Africa will be successful.

He said China and South Africa have established diplomatic relations for 25 years, and South Africa is very happy to continue to cultivate the great friendship between the two sides. 

President of China Media Group (CMG) Shen Haixiong, South Africa's Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini Zuma, Chinese Ambassador to South Africa Chen Xiaodong and many other government officials and representatives from mainstream media organizations in African countries attended the ceremony.  

Dlamini Zuma delivered a congratulatory speech on behalf of the South African government, saying that she is very delighted that CMG has chosen to launch the series in South Africa. 

China and South Africa have forged a traditional friendship. In recent years, under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation framework, the scale of cooperation between the two sides continues to expand, and the cooperation mechanism also continues to improve. She hoped that the broadcast of this program will continue to carry forward the China-South Africa friendship, thriving like an evergreen tree.

Shen said this year marks the 10th anniversary of Xi's proposal of the concept of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith, and the right approach to justice and interests, the guiding principles of China's Africa policy. He said he believes that the series will help African audiences understand Xi's governance thought and better understand China.

Both China and Africa are important birthplaces of human civilization, with ancient rhymes and profound heritage. The media of the two sides should deepen exchanges, strengthen cooperation, and always be reliable friends and sincere partners, Shen said, adding that CMG is willing to work together with African friends to inject new vitality and add new momentum to promote the construction of a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era.

The documentaries have already been translated into English, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and many other languages, and have received 4.79 billion views worldwide.

Xi will attend the 15th BRICS Summit to be held in Johannesburg and pay a state visit to South Africa from August 21 to 24. As the world is facing numerous uncertainties and living through accelerating changes unseen in a century, observers hope that Xi's upcoming visit and the meetings in South Africa will further energize the BRICS mechanism and usher in a new phase of China-Africa and South-South cooperation.

According to China's Ministry of Commerce, China has remained Africa's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years. The two sides have together constructed and commissioned over 10,000 kilometers of railway, nearly 100,000 kilometers of highway, and an array of important infrastructure projects, including airports, docks, bridges and power plants.

In recent years, China-Africa cooperation has expanded from agriculture, infrastructure and manufacturing to new industries such as green economy, health, finance and digital innovation.

Costantinos Berhutesfa Costantinos, a professor of public policy at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, said that it is political justice, mutual economic benefit, win-win cooperation and common development that have laid the basis for a shared future of Africa and China.

(Cover: A picture of the launching ceremony of the second season of the series "Classics Quoted by Xi Jinping" in Johannesburg, South Africa, August 20, 2023. /CMG)