H.E. Siyabonga C. Cwele, Ambassador of South Africa to China: Recipe Found for Chongqing’s Fast Development

南非驻华大使谢胜文：重庆为何发展得如此之快？我学到了

 

 

谢胜文大使接受媒体专访。摄影/杨艳

Serving tea to guests and friends is one of the traditions of the Chinese people. On March 24, the exclusive interview with H.E. Ambassador Siyabonga C. Cwele started with a pot of Rooibos Tea from South Africa. This is his first visit to Chongqing since he was appointed Ambassador of South Africa to China.

During his one-week visit, he met with the officials of the Chongqing Municipal Government, had discussions with the government departments, visited local companies, schools, Chongqing Planning Exhibition Gallery, and Hongyan Revolution Memorial Hall, and gave speeches at local universities. This busy schedule sparks many inspirations.

“Over the past two years, we’ve been planning to visit Chongqing because people in Beijing are full of praise for the beautiful city. Why does this city enjoy such fast development? How do you build it into a manufacturing hub? Now I know the recipe,” said H.E. Ambassador Siyabonga C. Cwele. “Chongqing’s mountains, rivers, and scenery are so impressive, and its tourism is flourishing. I will invite my friends to Chongqing to explore the beautiful scenery here, and Chongqing is a modern metropolis that develops rapidly,” he added.

Facilitating Trade and Investment Exchanges Through Complementary Resources

 体验重庆海扶医疗科技股份有限公司聚焦超声模拟治疗。

South Africa is one of Chongqing’s most important partners in Africa. Our cooperation and exchanges in economy, trade, science, and education have yielded fruitful achievements. Over two decades ago, Chongqing and Mpumalanga established the sister relationship. Friendly cooperative relations have been established between Chongqing Municipality and Gauteng Province, Chongqing Yubei District and Buffalo City, with quality platforms set up to facilitate exchanges between Chongqing and South Africa.

In 2022, the total volume of exports and imports between Chongqing and South Africa reached RMB4.11 billion, up by 39.3% year-on-year. The volume of exports hit RMB3.14 billion, a 40% year-on-year increase; the volume of imports hit RMB970 million, up by 36.9%. Chongqing’s executed value of offshore service outsourcing contracts stood at USD19.14 million, up by 2.15% year-on-year. Services provided include industrial design and I.T. solutions.

During his visit to Chongqing, he attended China (Chongqing)-South Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference. He witnessed the signing of a cooperation agreement between the Council for the Promotion of International Trade Chongqing with the Economic Department of the South African Embassy in Beijing, China.

H.E. Ambassador Siyabonga C. Cwele highly recognizes Chongqing’s socio-economic development achievements. “Establishing and improving an official communication mechanism matters. Many people love our quality products, such as diamonds, red wine, and fruits. We can export them and facilitate our trade and investment exchanges. South African companies are encouraged to invest in Chongqing, and good conditions have been created for investors here. Chongqing companies are encouraged to invest in South Africa as well, which urgently needs intelligent manufacturing, the most advanced manufacturing technology. The digital economy is transforming our industries, and we can cooperate. South Africa accounts for 40% of the industrial production value in Africa, and we need to make quick moves to help our industries go digital and maintain our global competitiveness,” he said.

Chongqing’s Advanced Medical Technology Benefiting South African People

Over the years, Chongqing and South Africa have engaged in close medical exchanges. In 2015, Chongqing Haifu Medical Technology Co., Ltd. established the first Chongqing Haifu Focused Ultrasound Treatment Center on the African continent in Bara Hospital, Gauteng Province, South Africa. Hundreds of patients with uterine fibroids have been treated at the center. In the same year, Chongqing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital signed a cooperation agreement with the South African Oriental Medical Center to collaborate in training professional talents, lecturing, and academic exchanges in traditional medicine.

H.E. Ambassador Siyabonga C. Cwele, a doctor for ten years before becoming a diplomat, praised the focused ultrasound technology developed by Chongqing Haifu Medical, “I think it is revolutionary because the non-invasive technique can treat tumors without any incisions. Now, this technique is used to train African doctors, and it has been promoted from South Africa to other African countries. This is what we need most because it reduces the cost of treatment and the patient’s time staying in hospitals. It has been very effective and beneficial in improving the quality of life of our people, so we will continue to work with Haifu Medical and other medical companies in Chongqing.”

The “City of Mountains and Waters” Meeting the “Western Maritime Lifeline”

The Republic of South Africa is located at the southernmost tip of Africa. The Cape of Good Hope route at its southwest end has always been one of the busiest sea passages in the world, known as the “Western Maritime Lifeline”. In early 2023, South Africa became one of the first 20 nations where overseas group tours resumed from China.

As a city of mountains and waters, Chongqing is surrounded by lucid rivers and lush gorges, known as the “8D Magic City” and the “Standing City”. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), Chongqing ranked first in the world's top 10 fastest-growing tourism cities for two consecutive years.

This visit has allowed H.E. Ambassador Siyabonga C. Cwele to learn more about Chongqing's urban vitality, strength, and charm. “Travelers usually go to Johannesburg, a cosmopolitan city like Chongqing with plenty of nightlife and great shopping facilities. Many people will buy diamonds in Johannesburg for their lovers and then go to Cape Town, which has the beautiful Table Mountain, one of the world's wonders. There they can also enjoy the scenic view of Robben Island, where both the Indian and Atlantic oceans are in sight. Then travelers can go to Mpumalanga Province to explore the magnificent nature of Africa in the famous Kruger National Park, the largest national park in South Africa,” said H.E. Ambassador Siyabonga C. Cwele.

South Africa has integrated Chinese language teaching into its national education system. Data shows that hundreds of thousands of African students have learned the Chinese language and culture in recent years and have gained more opportunities through the “Chinese + Vocational Skills” training program.

“I started to learn Chinese this year, too. It’s so difficult, but I like it because I know how important it is to learn this language. With the development of China, Chinese is very likely to become a business language in the future. Our children must learn Chinese because they will grow up in this new global environment,” said H.E. Ambassador Siyabonga C. Cwele in the exclusive interview, “now we will focus on promoting the economic, trade, and people-to-people exchanges between China and South Africa. As South African ambassador to China, I am confident that the relationship between the two countries will go from strength to strength.”

Photo/The Foreign Affairs Office of the Chongqing Municipal Government 

共品茶香茶韵 谈重庆印象

以茶待客、以茶交友是中国人延续至今的传统习俗。3月24日，与以往不同，此次的专访从品一壶正宗的南非博士茶展开。这是南非驻华大使谢胜文就任以来，首次访问重庆。

       

拜访重庆市政府领导，与市政府相关部门座谈，访问企业、学校，向重庆高校师生发表演讲，参观重庆市规划展览馆、红岩革命纪念馆等地……一周时间里，大使的行程安排得十分紧凑，感悟颇多。

       

“在过去两年里，我们一直在计划这次访问，因为我也听到北京的许多人对这座美丽的城市赞不绝口。你们的城市为何发展得如此之快？你们是如何成为制造业中心的？我在这里学到了。”重庆的山水美景令谢胜文印象深刻，“重庆的旅游业非常繁荣，我一定会推荐我的朋友们到重庆，探索更多这座城市的美景，因为重庆是一个飞速发展的现代大都市。”谢胜文大使说。

两地资源互补 建立贸易联系与投资交流

       

 访问四川外国语大学并发表演讲。

南非是重庆在非洲最重要的合作伙伴之一，两地在经贸、地方友好、科技教育等领域开展了成果突出的交流与合作。重庆与姆普马兰加省已有20多年的友好城市关系，重庆市与豪登省、重庆市渝北区与布法罗市也分别建立了友好合作关系，成为重庆与南非各层级交往的优质平台资源。

       

2022年，重庆对南非进出口总额41.1亿元，同比增长39.3%。其中，出口额31.4亿元，同比增长40%；进口额9.7亿元，同比增长36.9%。重庆对南非离岸服务外包执行额合计1914万美元，同比增长2.15%，主要业务类型包括工业设计服务、信息技术解决方案服务等。

      

访渝期间，谢胜文大使出席了中国（重庆）—南非经贸合作交流会，并见证了重庆市贸促会与南非驻华大使馆经济处签署合作协议。

       

谢胜文大使盛赞重庆经济社会发展成就，他说：“重要的是在市政府一级建立并加强联动机制。很多人喜欢我们的优质产品，比如钻石、红酒、水果，我们可以出口，并建立相关的贸易联系和投资交流。我们鼓励南非公司来重庆投资，你们已经为投资者创造了良好的条件，也鼓励重庆企业到南非投资，因为我们非常需要最现代的制造业技术，即所谓的智能制造。数字经济正改变着我们的产业，我们可以（在这方面）更好地合作。非洲大陆40%的工业产值来自南非，但我们仍需要迅速行动，将生产方式转为数字化，以保持与世界的竞争力。”

重庆先进的医疗技术造福南非人民

 

访问重庆电子工程职业学院。

多年来，重庆与南非在医疗方面交流密切。2015年，重庆海扶医疗在南非豪登省Bara医院建立了非洲大陆首个重庆海扶聚焦超声技术治疗中心，已在当地治疗数百名子宫肌瘤患者。同年，重庆市中医院与南非东方医学中心在传统医药领域签订合作协议，在传统医药专业人才培养、讲学和学术交流等方面开展合作。

       

在成为外交官之前，曾做过10年医生的谢胜文大使对重庆海扶的聚焦超声技术大加赞赏：“这项技术我称之为是一项革命性的技术，因为它是非侵入性的，可以治疗肿瘤，而不切割你的皮肤，现在这项技术被用来培训我们的非洲医生，并且从南非传播到了非洲大陆的其他国家。这是我们最需要的，因为它降低了治疗成本，减少了住院时间。它对提高我们公民的生活质量非常有效且非常有益，所以我们将继续与重庆海扶和重庆其他的医疗公司开展合作。”

“山水之城”遇见“西方海上生命线”

       

南非共和国地处非洲大陆最南端，其西南端的好望角航线，历来是世界上最繁忙的海上通道之一，有“西方海上生命线”之称。2023年初，南非成为首批20个中国团队出境游试点国家之一。

       

重庆是一座山环水绕、江峡相拥的山水之城，有“8D魔幻城市”“站立着的城市”之名。WTTC（世界旅游与旅行社理事会）曾连续两年评选重庆为“全球增长最快的十大旅游城市”榜首。

       

通过此次参访，谢胜文大使充分感受到了山城重庆的城市活力、实力与魅力。谢胜文说：“去南非，旅行者一般会选择去约翰内斯堡，它是个和重庆一样的国际化大都市，夜生活丰富，有非常棒的购物设施，很多人会在这里买钻石送给爱人；然后到开普敦，开普敦有美丽的桌山，这是世界奇观之一，还可以看到罗宾岛的美丽风景，可以同时看到印度洋和大西洋；然后去到姆普马兰加省，著名的克鲁格国家公园就坐落在那里，它是南非最大的国家公园，在那里你可以看到非洲壮丽的大自然。”

      

如今，南非已经将汉语教学纳入了国民教育体系。数据显示，近年来，已有数十万非洲学生通过学习中文，了解中国文化，并通过“中文+职业技能”课程获得了更多发展机会。

      

 “我今年也开始学习汉语了。太困难了，不过我喜欢学，因为懂得汉语很重要。汉语将来很可能成为一种商务语言，因为中国正在崛起。我们的孩子将在这个新的全球环境中成长，他们就必须学习汉语。”谢胜文在接受专访中说，“我们现在的重点是加强（两国）经贸往来，加强人文交往。作为南非驻华大使，我非常有信心，我们的关系将会更加牢固。”

文/杨艳

图/除署名外由市政府外办提供