President Xi arrived in Pretoria with his wife Peng Liyuan at 8:40 p.m. local time and was welcomed at the airport by Lindiwe Sisulu, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, and Lin Songtian, Chinese ambassador to South Africa.
On behalf of the Chinese government and people, President Xi extended his greetings to the government and people of South Africa.
Xi said he expects to exchange views with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa on bilateral ties, Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, as well as regional and international issues of common concern.
Speaking of the upcoming BRICS summit in Johannesburg, Xi said he is looking forward to working together with leaders from other BRICS countries, African countries, and other emerging markets and developing countries, to improve the cooperation of developing countries and make more contributions to world peace and development.
China’s President Xi Jinping is currently on an African tour which begun in Senegal on Saturday.
It is President Xi's third state visit to South Africa.
