Parliament's National Assembly
(NA) is set to play a greater role in monitoring and overseeing
government's international commitments with China.

The nine-day official visit to China this month by NA Speaker Mr Max
Sisulu, NA House chairperson for international relations Ms Mildred
Oliphant and a delegation of senior Members of Parliament drawn from
eight NA committees is laying the basis for more focused oversight of
government's international commitments with China.

The committees are International Relations and Cooperation, Water and
Environmental Affairs, Energy, Science and Technology, Finance, Higher
Education, Trade and Industry and Rural Development and Land Affairs.

A memorandum of understanding signed in 2006 between the national
legislatures of China and South Africa set the scene for such focused
oversight by establishing a Regular Exchange Mechanism between the NA
and China's National People's Congress (NPC).

During the August state visit to China by President Jacob Zuma,
strengthening inter-parliamentary relations was identified as important
to implementing commitments made by both governments in the Declaration
on the Establishment of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, signed
with China's President Mr Hu Jintao.

The Declaration commits the governments of the two countries to
cooperate on trade, investment, transport, education, health,
infrastructure development, energy, mining and environmental management,
among others.

Since arriving in China on 21 October Mr Sisulu and his delegation has
held talks with the President of China Mr Hu Jintao, Chairman of the
National People's Congress (NPC) of China Mr Wu Bangguo, NPC Standing
Committee Vice Chairman Mr Hua Jianmin, leader of the Chongqin Municipal
People's Congress, leader of the Chongqin Municipal Committee of the
Communist Party of China, leader of the Yichang Municipal People's
Congress, leader of the Hubei Provincial People's Congress, leader of
the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress and the executive committee of
the South Africa-China Business Association, which comprises South
African businesses with investments in China.

A number of commitments have been made in these meetings, among them
further investment by China in South Africa and facilitating South
African business investment in China.. This is the case, for example,
with Chongqing Municipality which already has a twinning relationship
with Mpumalanga.

Chongqing has a population of about 31 million, is a hub between the
eastern and western regions of China and is the largest city on the
upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

Parliament has also undertaken to facilitate South African business
taking up investment opportunities in China.

The visit has strengthened relations between the two national
legislatures and visits were mooted, in the near future, to South Africa
by the Chinese leaders with whom meetings were held.

Also reaffirmed were undertakings to advance cooperation among
developing countries and to develop common approaches to issues on the
agendas of multilateral institutions. These include the
Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Parliamentary component of the World
Trade Organisation.

Cities, municipalities and provinces visited were chosen to enable the
delegation to gain insight into the variety of challenges China is
facing and its successes as it strives to reach its goal of establishing
a "moderately wealthy society" across its vast country, with a balance
between economic development and protection of the environment.