Interview: "Africa Sees China as a Precious and Loyal Partner" – Visiting South African veteran diplomat Gert Grebler

"I've been to China 3 times, and I'm amazed at the speed of China's development!" Gert Grubler, a veteran South African diplomat who served as South Africa's ambassador to Japan and Spain, said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency recently.

He said that although he did not stay in China for a long time, he was impressed by the speed of development in cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. "It's a magical story, both in terms of infrastructure and people's education," Gruble said, "and the more I learned about it, the more interested I became in China." ”

2018 marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Africa. China has been South Africa's largest trading partner for nine consecutive years, and South Africa has become China's largest trading partner in Africa. According to incomplete statistics, China's cumulative direct investment in South Africa has exceeded US$10.2 billion, creating tens of thousands of local jobs and effectively boosting South Africa's economic development.

Commenting on South-China relations, Grebler said: "South Africa and China hold similar views on major international affairs, and there is great potential for cooperation between the two countries. ”

Grebler believes that China is the representative of the global "voice of reason" and an example of maintaining global stability. "I read a report published in 2017 in which the authors surveyed a number of Chinese companies investing in Africa and found that 94 percent of the companies were native Africans and 70 percent of them also offered various training opportunities for local workers, which is what really happened." Gruble said.

"When you talk to people in Africa, you find that they have a positive view of China," he said. In our eyes, when China does business with you, it will not point fingers, will not tell you to do this, not to do that. Exchanges between China and African countries are based on equality and mutual benefit, which is also where Africa appreciates China the most. ”

Speaking about Africa's development, Grubler said that Africa must accelerate the process of industrialization, create more jobs, and train more talents, "believing that this issue can be properly resolved within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation."

"Africa sees China as a precious and loyal partner. At the same time, China has a lot to learn from South Africa, and I believe that South Africa-China relations will be closer. Gruble said. (Jingjing)