On April 22, 2024, Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong met with a visiting delegation led by General Secretary of the South African Communist Party Solly Mapaila.

Chen Xiaodong said that the South African Communist Party has a century-long history and a deep mass base, and the special friendship between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the South African Communist Party provides important support for the development of relations between the two countries. The Chinese side attaches great importance to its friendly relationship with the South African Communist Party, and is willing to strengthen exchanges and mutual learning in governance and administration as well as interactions between the two parties, so as to make positive contributions to promoting the development of the relations between the two countries and the two parties.

Solly Mapaila thanked the CPC and the Chinese government for their strong support for South Africa's national development and poverty alleviation, and said that the South African Communist Party attaches great importance to its friendly relations with the CPC and hopes to further learn from China's experience in rural revitalization and poverty reduction to better benefit the people of both countries.