Top Chinese Leader Xi For Pretoria

18 Feb 2013

South Africa has been central to the Chinese for procuring raw materials, and Beijing has been only doing pure barter trade with Pretoria by sending across its cheap manufactured goods for the raw materials it imports from South Africa. The barter trade has helped both in that Pretoria has been getting cheap mass-produced and manufactured goods for its raw materials. The trade has let Pretoria float, while the rest of Africa and the world went though the throes of recession.

Now the new Chinese leadership has made it clear how central South Africa is to its foreign policy by the coming visit of Xi Jinping. The new leadership is sending China's foreign minister Yang Jiechi on Sunday to Russia en route to South Africa. Traditionally, Chinese and Russian leaders restrict their first foreign visits to each other.

Xi is scheduled to attend the 5th summit of the BRICS leaders in South Africa from March 25 to 27. "He will land in Moscow before traveling to South Africa," said a source familiar with the visit. Pretoria is chairing the meeting of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the economies that can together give the run for the money to both the USA and Europe.

The annual meetings of China's top political advisory group and top legislature will open on March 3 and 5, respectively. Xi became the general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee during the 18th Party congress in November, and he is set to take over as the Chinese President after the meetings.