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China’s success is due to “patriotism and discipline” and South Africa could learn from this, said President Jacob Zuma.
After a visit to China that included a major military show of force, Zuma said today that South Africa should expand its own “security capabilities” to contribute to peace and security in Africa.
According to the president, the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II – or, as the Chinese call it, the 70th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese Peoples’ War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War – wasn’t just to show military force but also to show China’s “commitment to cooperation with the international community to work together to maintain peace and security”.
“As a major power, China has consistently used its strength for defending peace and security globally and not for aggression,” said Zuma, a day after he met with alleged genocide and war criminal Omar al-Bashir, president of Sudan, at the event.
“More than 35 million Chinese lost their lives defending their country during World War II. By any standard, the loss of life and pain endured was indeed tremendous,” said Zuma.
“Despite this devastation, China emerged as among the world’s key nations and utilised its political influence and economic power to build friendships with other nations. In this regard, China played an important role in supporting liberation movements on the continent. This was evident during the 70th anniversary celebrations because nine African countries were represented,” said Zuma.
Zuma held “bilateral talks” with Xi Jinping, China’s president on the relationship between the two countries – the “Five-to-10-year Strategic Programme on Cooperation”.
The plan focuses on marine cooperation, infrastructure development and industrial development.
The two also spoke about South Africa, which will be presenting the second summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Johannesburg in December.
City Press reported on Monday that South African government officials undertook 40 visits to China in the 2014-2015 fiscal year. The trips, which saw 10 ministers and 115 civil servants visit China, cost the taxpayer about R7 million, and the amount doesn’t include all the ministers and state departments’ visits – not all answers had been submitted to a question asked in Parliament.
