Vice State President holds talks with South African counterpart

PM Xuan hailed South Africa’s leading role in the continent, as well as its important contributions made to international forums, going on to congratulate the country on successfully organising the recent BRICS Summit.

In response, South African Deputy President Mashatile welcomed the Vietnamese PM’s visit and described it as an important event taking place amid the two countries celebrating the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic relations which began in 1993.

He expressed his impression with the numerous Vietnamese dynamic development achievements, as well as its increasing role and position in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region, emphasizing that solidarity and mutual support in the fight for national independence and freedom are important factors for the two countries to promote multi-faceted co-operation in national construction and development.

The two sides applauded the positive developments recorded in co-operative relations between the two countries over the past three decades.

The nation and South Africa have become important partners of each other in Africa and Southeast Asia, with South Africa currently being the country’s largest trade partner in Africa, with two-way turnover reaching nearly US$1.3 billion in 2022.

Collaboration in defence-security, economics, agricultural investment, culture, education-training, and people-to-people exchanges have also made positive progress.

The same day saw Vice President Xuan meet General Secretary of the South African Communist Party (SACP) Solly Mapaila and Minister of South African Public Enterprises Pravin Ghordan, cut the ribbon at an inauguration ceremony of the Vietnamese Cultural Space in South Africa, and attended a ceremony to mark the 78th anniversary of Vietnam's National Day and the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and South Africa.