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In response to media queries, The Presidency wishes to correct the erroneous impression created by a Johannesburg newspaper that Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has met “with officials from the Chinese Communist Party, who allegedly raised concern about the political and economic instability in South Africa.”

The facts are that the Governor of Guandong Province, Mr Zhu Xiaodan, paid a courtesy call on Deputy President Ramaphosa in Johannesburg on Friday 26 August 2016.

The Presidency feels obliged, in view of the media reports, to make it clear that the courtesy call was directed at consolidating existing bilateral relations between South Africa and the People’s Republic of China.

Specifically, the exchange focused on the prospect of a twinning agreement between Guandong and KwaZulu-Natal to enhance cooperation in a number of economic sectors.

The suggestion that a Chinese delegation had raised national developments within South Africa is wholly incorrect, and may arise from the conflation of the courtesy visit with other meetings held on the same day on the South African economy.

Issued by the Presidency