China and South Africa are working to further enhance their bilateral trade ties during the 15th BRICS Summit, which is taking place from August 22 to 24 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The two countries are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties. In the period since, both countries have seen significant progress in their economic and trade cooperation.

Trade between China and South Africa reached a record high of $56.74 billion in 2022, marking a 5 percent year-on-year increase. The growth in trade has accelerated even further in the first half of this year, with a jump of 11.7 percent.

South Africa, as the first African country to sign the Belt and Road cooperation document with China, has been the largest trading partner of China in Africa for 13 consecutive years. Additionally, it has one of the highest volumes of Chinese investment, totaling $10 billion. China, on the other hand, has been South Africa's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years.

Shu Jueting, spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce, stated in a press conference last week that the two countries have established a stable and strong cooperative relationship in supply and industrial chains.

The deepening trade relations between the two countries have resulted in Chinese companies creating over 400,000 local jobs in South Africa, while South African companies are actively investing in the Chinese market, capitalizing on its abundant business opportunities. South African products, such as wines, rooibos tea, and aloe vera gels, are currently trending within the Chinese market.

China and South Africa issued a joint statement on Tuesday, highlighting their commitment to elevate bilateral relations and enhance cooperation in various fields. They emphasized the importance of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a platform for this and agreed to explore further collaborative opportunities within the framework of the BRI.

Both countries expressed their intentions to strengthen cooperation in key areas such as infrastructure and logistics, trade and investment, manufacturing, agri-processing, energy and resources, finance, digital economy, science and technology, as well as in green development.

(With input from Xinhua)