Wu Bangguo (L), chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, shakes hands with South African President Jacob Zuma (R) in Cape Town, South Africa, May 25, 2011. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo met here with South African President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday. The two sides both voiced call for all-round cooperation and richer content of the comprehensive strategic partnership and strengthened bilateral coordination.
Wu, Chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, the country's top legislature, first conveyed the warm greetings from Chinese President Hu Jintao to South African President Zuma.
Wu hailed the 13-year development of the China-South Africa relationship since its establishment, noting the bilateral relations have been growing with more and more strategic significance and global influence.
China is willing to work together with South Africa to promote the all-round cooperation, Wu said, hoping that the two sides will continue to maintain closer high-level political contacts, and further deepen pragmatic cooperation especially in the areas such as manufacture, energy and resource, further processing and infrastructure construction.
China wishes to strengthen close coordination in key international issues with South Africa, added Wu, noting that China hopes to see the two countries step up their cooperation in fields such as green economy, manufacture, agriculture as well as exchange between the two governments and the two parliaments.
China would also like to coordinate with South Africa on regional and international issues within the multilateral frameworks as the United Nations, World Trade Organization, G20 and BASICS in an aim to promote South-South cooperation and help formulate new international political and economic system, Wu said.
China supports South Africa to host 2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban, the legislator added.
For his part, Zuma spoke highly of China's role in international affairs, saying that South Africa attaches great importance to the relations with China.
South Africa is willing to step up cooperation with China under bilateral and multilateral settings and welcomes China to play an active role in South Africa's newly-launched New Economic Growth Path including the key projects in infrastructure construction of the African continent, said Zuma.
The two leaders also exchanged their views on the China-Africa cooperation and spoke highly of the outcome achieved during the BRICS summit held in China's southern province Hainan, vowing to work closer to strengthen coordination on regional and international issues and jointly safeguard the interests of the developing countries.
Visiting as Speaker of South African National Assembly Max Sisulu's guest, Wu arrived here on Tuesday evening. South Africa is the 3rd leg of Wu's Africa-Asia tour which has already taken him to Namibia and Angola.