China and South Africa, two influential developing countries, have great potential to develop bilateral cooperation, Chinese Ambassador to South Africa Zhong Jianhua said.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Zhong said both countries attach great importance to developing bilateral ties and have obtained remarkable achievements in cooperation in politics, economy and trade, culture and education.

Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), is scheduled to visit South Africa on March 28-April 1.

Zhong said the visit will enhance bilateral cooperation and promote friendship between the two countries.

Developing comprehensive cooperation with South Africa has always been a high priority of China since the two countries forged diplomatic ties in 1998 and established a strategic partnership in 2004.

Meanwhile, South Africa has given priority to its ties with China in South-South cooperation, and therefore, China-South Africa relations have enjoyed a smooth development and increasingly close contact.

"Before the abolition of apartheid in South Africa, China had offered South Africa great spiritual support by bolstering its people's resistance to apartheid, resulting in the traditional friendship between the two countries," Zhong said.

The ambassador added that since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two countries have realized frequent high-level exchange visits to deepen their strategic partnership.

China and South Africa founded a bi-national commission in 2000. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and President Hu Jintao visited South Africa in 2006 and 2007 respectively to promote the China-South Africa strategic partnership, Zhong said.

Many South African leaders have also visited China. President Jacob Zuma, who visited China in June 2008 then as head of the African National Congress, will visit China again this year, Zhong added.

According to the ambassador, the two countries have boosted economic and trade cooperation and achieved fruitful results over the past years.

Zhong said the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China purchased 25 percent of the stocks of the Standard Bank of South Africa for 5 billion U.S. dollars. Chinese brands such as Hisense and Skyworth have entered the mainstream consumer market in South Africa. By investing in South Africa, Chinese enterprises have contributed to the African nation's economic development.

The trade volume between China and South Africa in 2009 reached 16.1 billion dollars. Both countries have signed more than 50 cooperation agreements in such areas as nuclear energy, science and technology, health, culture and tourism.

Every year, around 70,000 to 80,000 Chinese tourists visit South Africa, making China one of the countries with the greatest number of tourists to the African country.

Zhong expressed his belief that such close economic and trade cooperation would not only give great impetus to both economies, but also contribute to a continuous enhancement of political relations and establish close friendship between the two countries.

"The year 2010 is unusual for both, as China's Shanghai will host the World Expo and South Africa will host the football World Cup," said Zhong. "The two events will promote bilateral communication and cooperation in international events, culture, education and sports."

According to the ambassador, during the Shanghai World Expo, a number of South African artistic groups will visit Shanghai to promote the colorful South African culture. Exhibitions will also be held after the Expo to show how South African culture balances tradition and modernity.

Currently, three universities in South Africa have established Confucius Institutes to give more local students and intellectuals access to Chinese language and culture.

In recent years, various Chinese organizations have successfully held a series of events, such as the "Chinese Film Festival," the theatrical performance "Impression of China," Spring Festival temple fairs and Shaolin Temple performances.

Developing China-South Africa relations is an important basis for China to promote its ties with Africa, as South Africa is one of the most important countries on the continent due to its geographical location and relatively developed economy, Zhong said.

China will keep promoting cooperation with South Africa based on mutual benefits and trust, and work with South Africa to contribute to global economic development as well as to peace and stability.