On July 17, 2025, Vice President Han Zheng met with South African Deputy President Paul Shipokosa Mashatile in Beijing.

Han Zheng stated that in September last year, President Xi Jinping had a successful meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa and they jointly announced the elevation of the bilateral relationship to an all-round strategic cooperative partnership in the new era, opening a new chapter in building a high-level community with a shared future between China and South Africa. Han Zheng recalled that the year before last, he co-chaired the eighth plenary meeting of the China-South Africa Bi-National Commission with Mr. Deputy President Paul Shipokosa Mashatile, promoting extensive achievements in cooperation across various fields. The two sides should further implement the important common understandings reached between the two heads of state, constantly deepen political mutual trust, advance the high-quality development of bilateral cooperation, and serve the modernization endeavors of both countries.

Paul Shipokosa Mashatile said that South Africa attaches great importance to the South Africa-China all-round strategic cooperative partnership in the new era and firmly upholds the one-China policy. Noting that the bilateral cooperation in trade, investment and other fields has made robust progress, Paul Shipokosa Mashatile expressed the willingness to further implement the common understandings reached between the two heads of state to contribute to the development of South Africa-China and Africa-China relations.