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South African ambassador excited about Xi visit

Xinhua, November 30, 2015 Adjust font size:

South Africa's ambassador to China has told journalists of her excitement about Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to her country this week.

"It will be South Africa's honor and pleasure to welcome President Xi Jinping," Dolana Msimang said at a Beijing media briefing ahead of Xi's visit from Wednesday to Saturday.

She said the two countries have made "tremendous progress" since establishing diplomatic relations in 1998.

This will be Xi's second visit to South Africa as head of state. It will include a welcome ceremony, official talks and a state banquet.

Xi will co-chair the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) with President Zuma.

"We hope the Johannesburg Summit will elevate the Africa-China relationship to a new level, giving a strategic lift to Africa's developmental agenda," Msimang said.

The FOCAC will be attended by around 50 African heads of state and government, representatives from the African Union, heads of regional organizations and multilateral organizations.

The outcomes of the summit will be captured in an action plan containing measures to consolidate the partnership between Africa and China, according to the ambassador. Endi