The Minister in The Presidency, Dr Essop Pahad, and Vice Minister Wang Guoqing, responsible for the State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China (PRC), on Friday signed a letter of intent on friendly co-operation and exchanges between the two states.

This signing follows the recent second meeting of the South Africa - People's Republic of China Bilateral Commission in Pretoria.

Most recently, at the invitation of Deputy President Jacob Zuma, Zeng Qinghong, Vice President of the People's Republic of China, paid an official visit to South Africa between June 26 and June 29, during which the South Africa - People's Republic of China Bilateral Commission met for the second time and a number of agreements were signed.

Last September, at the invitation of the State Council Press Office of the People's Republic of China, a government communication and information system delegation visited the PRC as part of the South African government's objective to learn from the communication experiences of other countries and share South African experiences with them.