国内英语新闻:China pledges more imports to optimize trade with S Africa

PRETORIA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China has pledged to import more value-added products from South Africa to optimize bilateral trade.

Top Chinese political advisor Jia Qinglin made this pledge on Wednesday when he delivered a key-note speech at the China-South Africa Economic and Trade Forum in Pretoria.

South Africa was the last leg of Jia's 10-day African tour which has already taken him to Cameroon and Namibia. Jia had met with South African President Jacob Zuma and held talks with Mninwa Mahlangu, chairman of the National Council of Provinces of South Africa.

"China will continue to take measures to expand imports from South Africa, particularly those value-added products so as to increasingly optimize bilateral trade mix," said Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top advisory body.

China has become South Africa's biggest trade partner and exporter as bilateral trade hit a historic high of more than 16 billion U.S. dollars in 2009, which was over ten times than that in 1998 when the two countries forged diplomatic ties, Jia said.