Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa responds to arrests of South Africans in China
15 July 2015
Beijing - Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa today Wednesday 15 July responded to media questions regarding the arrests of a number of South Africans and other nationals in the Peoples Republic of China. In this regard, Deputy President Ramaphosa said ‘’Yes we have known that there are a number of South Africans as well as people from other nations who were arrested. The matter is being addressed at our Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) level.
“They are dealing with the matter. We are hoping that there will be a solution as time goes on. So that matter is being handled. We think it is best to leave it at that level because the Chinese officials as well as our Department of International Relations are dealing with the matter, actively on an hour by hour basis, yes it is being addressed’’ concluded Deputy President Ramaphosa.
Deputy President Ramaphosa was speaking during a media briefing in Beijing on Wednesday 15 July following the conclusion of the first part of his official visit to the People’s Republic of China in effort to understand how state-owned enterprises can be utilised to promote economic growth while addressing challenges of poverty and unemployment. In this regard, Deputy President Ramaphosa has interacted with a number of Chinese State-owned enterprises with a view of learning how South Africa could utilise the Chinese model in its own re-industrialisation process.
Accordingly, Deputy President Ramaphosa will on Thursday 16 July visit the coastal city of Qingdao in the second part of his official visit to the People’s Republic of China. The city of Qingdao has over 50 percent of the Peoples Republic of China’s ocean-related research institute. It is one of China’s five largest foreign trade ports, a home to a large petro-chemical industry which hosts many international companies.