China’s new appointee to the position of Ambassador to South Africa, Chen Xiaodong, was confirmed in a virtual ceremony at the Chinese embassy in Pretoria on Monday. The online event was attended by South African finance minister Pravin Gordhan, and served as an indication of the burgeoning bilateral ties between the two countries.
In fact, Chen is well versed with the politics of the region, having previously served as the assistant foreign minister in charge of West Asian and African affairs, otherwise known as the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). In April, Chen met with ambassadors and representatives from more than 20 African countries to reassure them of China’s commitment to African citizens residing in China, after reports of racially-motivated discrimination against African nationals in Guangdong province.
In fact, during his inauguration speech, he said that he was “deeply impressed” by South Africa’s “unique and magnificent natural scenery, colourful and pluralistic cultures, and the warm and friendly people” during his previous visits.
He emphasized that the two countries share a “special bond of ‘comrades plus brothers’” and said that they are united in their fight against “imperialism, colonialism, and racism”, which has paved the way for bilateral ties to be elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
Chen added that this partnership has been vital during the ongoing pandemic. In fact, earlier this month, China donated close to $60,000 worth of water tanks, surgical masks, and thermometers to South Africa in an initiative led by Chen’s predecessor.
The new ambassador said that, seeing as China is the “first country to bring Covid-19 under control”, it will look to “share” its “development dividends” with South Africa and other African countries in order to “drive the economic recovery and common development of Africa and the whole world”.
Speaking on the value of maintaining and improving ties with each other, he remarked, “China has been South Africa’s largest trading partner for 11 years in a row, and South Africa has been China’s largest trading partner in Africa for 10 consecutive years.” He expressed his hope that the two countries would continue to expand their ties through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, and the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity Against COVID-19.
He replaces Lin Songtian, who vacated his post in April, at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak in South Africa. Lin has since moved to Beijing to become the new president of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.
It remains to be seen whether Chen will take a hardline stance against certain aspects of South African governance like Lin, who was quite critical of the government’s mismanagement of state-owned businesses, like Eskom.
Although China is South Africa’s biggest trading partner, the coronavirus pandemic has severely dented the size of this cooperation. Bilateral trade decreased by 27.6% during the first six months of the year, with South African exports to China falling by 32.2% to $8.68 billion, while Chinese exports to South Africa fell to $6.2 billion.
To put things in perspective, trade between the two countries amounted to $43.2 billion in 2019. This economic downturn is likely to persist for at least some time, with the Chinese economy forecasted to grow by just 1.2% this year, while South Africa’s GDP is predicted to contract by 8%.
Both parties hope that Chen’s appointment will yield a renewed push to restore bilateral trade between China and South Africa to pre-pandemic levels.
China Confirms New Ambassador to South Africa, Hopes Restore Trade to Pre-Pandemic Levels
Bilateral trade between the two countries decreased by 27.6% during the first six months of the year.
October 1, 2020
China’s new Ambassador to South Africa, Chen Xiaodong, meeting with then-Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Noma-India Mfeketo, in 2017. SOURCE: DIRCO