On July 11, the South Africa-China Local Government Dialogue, which was co-hosted by the CPAFFC, Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) of South Africa and Chengdu Municipal Government, was successfully held in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. Mme. Lin Yi, Vice President of the CPAFFC, Hon. Des Van Rooyen, Minister of COGTA, Mme. Liu Xiaoliu, Vice Mayor of Chengdu Municipal Government and nearly 100 local government representatives from both countries attended the Dialogue.
In her remarks, Mme. Lin Yi hoped that through this Dialogue, local governments of China and South Africa can focus on the construction of 'Belt and Road', communicate ideas of cooperation, discuss and explore the areas of cooperation, so as to make the 'Belt and Road' provide a new platform for local government cooperation between the two countries and bring more real benefits to the two peoples.
Minister Van Rooyen said that South Africa gives firm support to the resolutions of the FOCAC Johannesburg Summit. He expects the Dialogue can enhance pragmatic cooperation between South African and Chinese cities and advance their joint efforts to address the challenges and opportunities, and facilitate the sharing of experience in urban governance and the establishment of friendship cities between the two countries as well.
The theme of this Dialogue is 'Promote OUR Belt & Road through Local Cooperation'. Local government representatives and entrepreneurs from Shandong, Henan, Chongqing, Xiamen and Chengdu held in-depth discussions with South African delegates from South Africa Local Government Association, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal provinces on topics of Local Industrial Matchmaking and Industrial Capacity Cooperation and Youth Employment and Vocational Training. This Dialogue was moderated by Dr. He Wenping, Chief Senior Researcher, Institute of West-Asian and African Studies (IWAAS) of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
