PRETORIA, South Africa, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in South Africa on Monday held an event in Pretoria, the country's administrative capital, to celebrate the launch of the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.
This year also marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and African countries.
Chinese Ambassador to South Africa Wu Peng said that over the past seven decades, under the joint guidance of leaders from both sides, China-Africa people-to-people and cultural exchanges have continued to expand, yielding fruitful outcomes.
Noting that the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, Wu said China and Africa need to uphold fairness and justice, strengthen solidarity and mutual assistance, and enhance exchanges and cooperation more than ever before.
"Taking the launch of the China-Africa Year of People-to-people Exchanges as an opportunity, we should uphold the original aspiration of friendship, solidify the foundation of cooperation, enhance our two-way efforts, and accelerate the building of an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era," Wu said.
Mmapaseka Steve Letsike, South Africa's deputy minister of women, youth, and persons with disabilities, said South Africa and China enjoy strong and historic bonds of friendship as close international cooperation partners in the political, economic, social, technical and multilateral domains.
"The amicable ties between our countries continue to serve as the bedrock for the growth of China-Africa relations, and people-to-people exchanges continuously fuel the vitality of this enduring friendship across generations," she added.
Nkhumeleni Victor Vele, director-general of South Africa's tourism department, said tourism is one of the most direct and powerful forms of people-to-people exchange.
"China remains one of South Africa's priority source markets and a key partner in our efforts to grow tourism as a driver of inclusive economic development, job creation and social cohesion. South Africa remains committed to deepening tourism cooperation with China and ensuring that tourism contributes meaningfully to shared prosperity," he said.
The event gathered around 100 participants. ■