SA Eyes Expanded Infrastructure Partnership with China as Investment Ties Deepen South Africa and China share nearly 30 years of formal diplomatic relations, with ties evolving into an All-Round Strategic Cooperative Partnership in the New Era.

Deputy President Paul Mashatile made the remarks while hosting Chinese Vice President Han Zheng at the 9th South Africa–China Bi-National Commission (BNC) in Cape Town, underscoring the growing strategic importance of bilateral ties. Infrastructure at the Core of Future Cooperation Mashatile highlighted infrastructure as a priority area for expanded collaboration: “We see significant potential to further expand cooperation in infrastructure development, particularly in the modernisation of ports, rail and road networks.” These sectors are viewed as critical to: Unlocking economic growth Improving logistics efficiency Enhancing regional trade integration With South Africa facing persistent infrastructure bottlenecks—especially in rail and ports—Chinese investment and technical expertise are expected to play a key role in accelerating upgrades. Nearly Three Decades of Strategic Partnership South Africa and China share nearly 30 years of formal diplomatic relations, with ties evolving into an All-Round Strategic Cooperative Partnership in the New Era. Mashatile noted that the relationship has grown in: Depth and scope Strategic and economic importance Contribution to development outcomes The partnership is currently guided by the Ten-Year Strategic Programme for Cooperation (2020–2029), which outlines priority areas including: Trade and investment Industrialisation Technology cooperation Infrastructure development Bi-National Commission: Apex Mechanism Driving Cooperation The Bi-National Commission (BNC), established in 2000 under the Pretoria Declaration, remains the highest-level platform coordinating bilateral engagement. Co-chaired at Deputy Presidential level, the BNC: Provides strategic direction for cooperation Reviews progress across sectors Identifies new priority areas Mashatile expressed hope that the 9th session would: Consolidate progress since the previous meeting Strengthen sectoral collaboration Align priorities with global economic shifts Growing Chin