President Xi arrives in South Africa for BRICS summit, state visit

By: Bernard Momanyi, Editorial Director 2 min read
President Xi arrives in South Africa for BRICS summit, state visit
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in South Africa on August 21, 2023 for the BRICS Summit and a State Visit. He was welcomed by host Cyril Ramaphosa. /XINHUA.

JOHANNESBURG, S.A, Aug 22 – Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in South Africa on Monday to attend the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, and pay a state visit to South Africa.

Xi arrived at the city’s O.R. Tambo International Airport at around 11 p.m. local time. 

He told South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who led a group of senior officials to welcome him at the airport, that he is very glad to visit South Africa again and looks forward to having in-depth exchanges of views with Ramaphosa on deepening China-South Africa relations and issues of common interest.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and South Africa. Xi stressed in a written statement that their comprehensive strategic partnership ushers in a new phase.

The consolidation and development of China-South Africa relations not only benefits the two peoples, but also injects more stability into a world intertwined with turmoil and change, he noted.

In terms of the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue, which he will co-chair with Ramaphosa, Xi said he will work with African leaders to discuss cooperation, seek common development and promote world peace.

Xi also expressed high expectations for the upcoming BRICS summit.

Noting BRICS is an important cooperation platform for emerging markets and major developing countries, and its cooperation mechanism has become a constructive force for promoting world economic growth, improving global governance and promoting democracy in international relations, he said he believes this year’s BRICS summit will be an important milestone in the development of the BRICS cooperation mechanism, elevating solidarity and cooperation among developing countries to a higher level.

This year’s summit is the first in-person BRICS summit for more than three years and the first BRICS summit to be held in Africa for five years. 

During the summit, Xi will have in-depth exchanges of views with other BRICS leaders on prominent global challenges. They will also discuss ways to further deepen and substantiate BRICS cooperation, strengthen dialogue and cooperation between BRICS and Africa and other emerging markets and developing countries, and send a strong message about the importance of safeguarding multilateralism and focusing on common development, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

Bernard Momanyi, Editorial Director

Bernard Momanyi, Editorial Director

Bernard is the Editorial Director at Capital FM, with more than two decades of experience in journalism, editorial leadership and news gathering across print and electronic media. He has built extensive experience in newsroom management, editorial strategy, content development and media leadership, overseeing the development and delivery of news and current affairs content across multiple platforms. Bernard holds a Bachelor’s degree in Information Sciences from Moi University, a Master of Arts in Communication Studies – Development Communication from the University of Nairobi, and an Executive Master’s in Media Leadership and Innovation from Aga Khan University. As Editorial Director, he provides strategic leadership to Capital FM’s newsroom, with a focus on editorial excellence, innovation, public-interest journalism and the evolution of media in a rapidly changing digital environment.