Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping said?on Thursday that China is willing to work closely with South Africa to deepen bilateral relations between the two developing countries.

Xi made the remarks while meeting with visiting South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.

China and South Africa have seen rapid and healthy development of bilateral ties featuring increasing mutual political trust, pragmatic trade cooperation and cultural exchanges since the establishment of diplomatic relationship in 1998, said Xi.

Xi said China attaches great importance to ties with South Africa and will make joint efforts with South Africa to push forward bilateral strategic partnership.

Xi also said that the two countries would implement the eight measures put forward by the Chinese government at the ministerial meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Egypt late November.

The FOCAC is an important platform for collective dialogue with effective mechanisms for promoting pragmatic China-Africa cooperation.

Mashabane is paying an official visit to China from Feb. 24 to 27 at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.

Besides Beijing, Mashabane will visit the venue of South Africa at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.

Mashabane said her country would further promote mutually-beneficial cooperation with China to turn South Africa-China relations into the cooperative example between the developing countries.