国内英语新闻:China, South Africa upgrade relations to "comprehensive strategic partnership"

Statistics from China's Commerce Ministry showed that China is now South Africa's largest trading partner and South Africa has become China's second largest trade partner.

Bilateral trade volume in the first half of this year reached 10.81 billion U.S. dollars, up 56.1 percent year on year, according to officials.

"There is still great potential in bilateral trade," said Liu Youfa, an expert on African issues at the China Institute of International Studies.

Zuma planned this visit with a view to promoting domestic economic growth by expanding economic and trade cooperation with China, said Liu.

The China visit was the last leg of Zuma's tour of the BRIC countries -- Brazil, Russia, India and China. Experts said this showed South Africa's strong willingness to take advantage of new trade and investment opportunities in rapidly growing emerging markets.

Besides strengthening economic cooperation with China, Zuma's visit has reached its other important goal, to elevate its earlier "strategic partnership" with China to a higher level of "comprehensive strategic partnership".

According to the Beijing Declaration signed by the two presidents, the two countries expressed their desire to further strengthen and deepen exchanges and cooperation between the two nations in both political and regional affairs by establishing a comprehensive strategic partnership based on equality, mutual benefits and common development.

In the area of economics, the two sides agreed to improve the current structure of trade between the two countries, in particular by working towards more balanced trade profiles and encouraging trade in manufactured value-added products.

The Chinese and South African governments on Tuesday afternoon also signed another seven bilateral cooperation agreements covering visa procedures, mining, energy, environment and transport sectors.