South Africa will maintain its relations with China in a bid to halve unemployment by 2014, Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana said on Friday.

Speaking at a meeting with his Chinese counterpart in Cape Town, Mdladlana said South Africa wanted to learn vital strategies of job creation from the Asian country as it also faced the same unemployment crisis.

"A fact of life that cannot be ignored is that both South Africa and China are developing countries whose growing stature in international affairs is there for everybody to see.

"No wonder we are being invited to all important global forums as an acknowledgement of the positive role we both play," Mdladlana said.

The Chinese consul-general to South Africa Hao Guaangfeng said the two countries had common goals and aspirations.

"Our two peoples are linked heart-to-heart by common goals and aspirations and we must ensure that our relations grow from strength to strength," he said.

Chinese Minister of Labour and Social Security HE Xian said: "We appreciate the fruits of our cooperation in many projects."