On December 31, 2025, Chinese Consul General in Cape Town Ren Faqiang published an article titled “2026: A pivotal year for China-South Africa relations” on Cape Times. The full article reads as follows:

When I was in primary school, I learned from a TV documentary about Africa that the world’s first human heart transplant was performed by South African doctors in Cape Town on December 3, 1967. I also knew from the documentary that several outstanding South African scientists had proudly won the Nobel Prize, covering fields such as physiology, medicine and chemistry. I was deeply impressed by the high-level performance of science and technology advancement in South Africa.

Supported by a well-established and globally integrated research system, South Africa possesses distinct scientific advantages in fields such as astronomy and space science, medicine and public health, genomics and bioinformatics, mining technology and materials science, renewable energy and climate science, securing its leading position in Africa with the most complete scientific research system and the highest level of international participation. In November 2025, as Africa’s foremost platform for strategic science, technology, and innovation dialogue, Science Forum South Africa 2025 was successfully held, bringing together over 6,000 participants, including scientists, policymakers, youth innovators, entrepreneurs and civil society representatives.

Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and especially since the implementation of the reform and opening-up policy in 1978, China has made great strides in catching up with the world’s advanced levels in the field of science and technology. The Communist Party of China and the Chinese government, upholding the concept that “science and technology are the primary productive force”, have implemented the strategy of “rejuvenating the nation through science and education” and have continuously increased investment in this area. In 2024, China’s total national R&D expenditure exceeded 3.6 trillion yuan (about 507.6 billion U.S. dollars), an increase of 48 percent compared to 2020. The number of Chinese high-level international journal publications and international patent applications ranked first in the world for five consecutive years. The country’s comprehensive innovation capability ranking rose from 14th in 2020 to 10th in 2025 among the 139 economies featured in the GII 2025. All these achievements have laid a solid foundation for the economic and social development of the 15th Five-Year Plan period.

Adopted at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in October 2025, the Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan(2026-2030) for National Economic and Social Development set “improving scientific and technological self-reliance” as one of the seven primary goals for China’s economic and social development, pointing the way for further promoting practical cooperation in science and technology, as well as continuously deepening cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and South Africa.

In recent years, China and South Africa have continuously optimized the open environment for scientific and technological innovation, actively promoted the establishment of a mutually beneficial and win-win partnership, and jointly signed multiple agreements or memoranda of understanding on cooperation and exchanges. Important progress has also been achieved in cooperation between scientists of the two countries in cutting-edge technologies, industrial applications and other fields, providing a specified roadmap for the China-South Africa S&T innovation cooperation and exchanges. As founding members, China, South Africa, and other countries have collaborated to establish the largest project in human history—the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) radio telescope. The SKA will become a groundbreaking scientific facility in the field of astronomy, bringing about a significant transformation in radio observational astronomy. In May 2025, as the first tower molten salt concentrated solar power plant in the south of the Sahara Desert and the largest investment in Northern Cape province, Powerchina’s Redstone EPC Project in South Africa entered commercial operation, playing a pivotal role in advancing South Africa’s energy transition strategy. In 2025, China and South Africa also launched a “Hydrogen Energy Partnership” to construct Africa’s first hydrogen fuel cell production base. These fruitful cooperation and exchanges have enriched the connotation of the all-round strategic cooperative partnership in the new era between China and South Africa, and become the new growth driver for expanding mutually beneficial cooperation.

The global significance and strategic influence of the relations between China and South Africa have continued to grow, and they have become a model of unity, cooperation and joint development among major developing countries and the “Global South” countries. Under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China and South Africa have continuously deepened bilateral scientific and technological innovation partnership in areas such as science and technology, policy dialogue, cultural exchanges, joint research, and platform co-construction.

As the year 2026 marks the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, China is ready and looking forward to continuously working hand in hand with the local government and all the research talents to jointly build a high-level China-South Africa and China-Africa community with a shared future.