China News Service, Johannesburg, September 23 (Reporter Wang Xi) The newly appointed ambassador to South Africa Chen Xiaodong and his wife Zhang Bin arrived in South Africa on the 23rd. Representatives of the South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Minister Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in South Africa Li Nan went to the airport to greet them.

　　In a speech at the airport, Chen Xiaodong said that the century-old changes in the current international situation and the century-old pandemic of the new crown pneumonia are intertwined, and China and South Africa need to strengthen unity and cooperation more than ever.

At this moment, I am embassy in South Africa. I deeply feel the glorious mission and great responsibility. I look forward to working with friends from all walks of life to promote new and greater development of China-South Africa relations.

　　Chen Xiaodong said that President Xi Jinping and President Ramaphosa co-chaired the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and successfully exchanged visits that year. In June of this year, they jointly initiated the convening of the China-Africa Unity Anti-epidemic Special Summit, and also held other bilateral and multilateral occasions. After many meetings, they jointly drew a blueprint for the development of China-South Africa and China-Africa relations. China-South Africa and China-Africa relations have enriched their connotations, China-South Africa and China-Africa cooperation have a broader prospect, and China-South Africa and China-Africa have a closer community of shared future.

　　Chen Xiaodong said that China and South Africa have a special friendship of "comrades and brothers." The friendship between the two peoples has been established in the struggle against imperialism, colonialism and racism, and has been continuously deepened in the process of win-win cooperation and common development.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations 22 years ago, China-South Africa relations have achieved a historic leap from partnership, strategic partnership to comprehensive strategic partnership.

Since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, China and South Africa have helped each other and joined hands in fighting the epidemic, demonstrating their firm determination to share weal and woe and overcome difficulties together, and also inject strong positive energy into China-Africa and even global anti-epidemic cooperation.

　　Chen Xiaodong said that China is currently striving to overcome difficulties, take the lead in controlling the epidemic, taking the lead in realizing economic recovery, giving full play to its super-large-scale market advantages, exploring the potential of domestic demand, and building a new development pattern with domestic and international cycles as the main body and mutual promotion of domestic and international cycles.

China will open wider to the outside world, share more of China’s development dividends with South Africa and Africa, drive the common recovery and common development of Africa and the world through its own recovery and development, and continue to consolidate and deepen the comprehensive strategic cooperation between China and Africa.

　　The representative of the South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed Chen Xiaodong and his wife to South Africa and spoke highly of the comprehensive strategic partnership between South Africa and China, highly appreciated China’s strong support for South Africa’s fight against the epidemic, and expressed the South’s willingness to work together with China to jointly promote the continuous development of the South-China comprehensive strategic partnership. Before development.

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