Year of the Horse: China highlights growing ties with South Africa at grand Lunar New Year celebrations

China says the recently signed China–Africa Economic Partnership Agreement will give South African exports duty-free access to the Chinese market while boosting investment into South Africa’s economy, Chinese Consul General in Johannesburg Pan Qingjiang said.

Delivering the keynote address at the Chinese Consulate-General’s Lunar New Year reception in Sandton, Pan described the agreement as a “landmark deal” and said China was looking forward to “an early harvest of its implementation”, with stronger trade ties and industrial cooperation expected to help revitalise South Africa’s growth and “deliver more benefits to the people”.

Landmark trade agreement takes centre stage

Pan said China’s modernisation drive had continued to advance steadily over the past year, with the country’s economic output surpassing 140 trillion yuan and achieving an annual growth rate of about 5%.

He said innovation-driven, high-quality development had strengthened China’s economic and scientific capacity, while improving people’s “sense of gain, happiness and security”.

Pan said China had successfully completed its 14th Five-Year Plan and had charted the course for the next phase of development, stressing that the country remained committed to providing “new opportunities for the world” through its growth.

He said China remained firmly opposed to unilateralism and protectionism, had defended the multilateral trading system and worked to de-escalate global conflicts, adding that President Xi Jinping’s Global Governance Initiative had “pointed the way forward” amid major shifts in the global order.

Pan also congratulated South Africa on hosting a successful G20 Summit, saying it had contributed to African peace and development and left a strong “Global South” imprint on global governance.

Against what he described as a volatile and unstable global environment, Pan warned that peace and development were under serious challenge.

“History has repeatedly proven that division and confrontation lead nowhere, and global solidarity is the only right choice,” he said.

Year of the Horse symbolises strength and perseverance

Marking the Year of the Horse, Pan said the symbol represents “strength, perseverance and determination to forge ahead” in Chinese culture.

He said the Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, carries values of peace, amity and harmony that resonate with South African culture and broader human society, and that the celebrations promote mutual learning among civilisations.

Pan said the event was intended to ensure that Chinese compatriots felt at home while allowing South African guests to experience traditional Chinese culture and the festive atmosphere.

The People's Republic of China will officially welcome the Lunar New Year on Tuesday, 17 February 2026, ushering in the Year of the Horse.

Also known as the Spring Festival, Chinese New Year marks the beginning of the lunar calendar and is China’s most important annual holiday. Celebrations traditionally begin on Lunar New Year’s Eve and run for about 15 days, ending with the Lantern Festival.

The festival period is associated with family reunions, cultural performances, temple fairs, gift-giving and travel on a massive scale, with hundreds of millions of people moving across China. Symbolically, it represents renewal, unity and hope for prosperity in the year ahead.

Although the official date falls later this month, diplomatic missions — including the Chinese Consulate-General in Johannesburg — often hold early receptions to mark the grand occasion, bringing together government, business and community leaders to reflect on bilateral relations and shared priorities.

The Horse is the zodiac sign for 2026 and the seventh animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac, following the Snake and preceding the Goat, and symbolises strength, perseverance and the determination to forge ahead.

Political, provincial and civic leaders gather in Sandton

Among those in attendance at the prestigious Sandton event were leaders from both Gauteng and the Free State provinces, including Free State MEC for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation Ntombizanele Sifuba, Gauteng Provincial Legislature Speaker Morakane Mosupyoe, Democratic Alliance Gauteng leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Gauteng Legislature Solly Msimanga, Mangaung Metro Executive Mayor Gregory Nthatisi, and Gauteng MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development Vuyiswa Ramokgopa.

The event was also attended by members of academia from local and Chinese institutions, representatives of think tanks, activists, local and international media, government officials, business leaders and members of the Chinese community in South Africa.

Shared history, culture and development in the global South

Addressing the gathering, Sifuba placed China–Africa relations within a broader historical and ideological context, saying the relationship between China and the global South was forged through a shared struggle against imperialism and colonial exploitation.

“The historical umbilical cord that connects the People’s Republic of China and those of us in the global South remains solid and can never be severed,” she he said, warning that history “is not buried” and continues to shape present-day struggles over resources, culture and power.

Sifuba said China’s continued celebration of the Lunar New Year according to its own calendar reflected cultural pride and resistance to cultural imperialism, drawing parallels with African traditions such as the Basotho New Year.

“Culture impacts on economic advancement, and economic development is interdependent on culture,” he said, cautioning against externally imposed economic models that ignore historical and cultural realities in the global South.

She also detailed growing cooperation between the Free State and China, including humanitarian assistance following the Jagersfontein disaster, official provincial missions to China and cooperation agreements with Chinese provinces and municipalities, which she said had laid a solid foundation for future collaboration.

Gauteng and Free State commit to deeper cooperation

On behalf of Gauteng, Mosupyoe said the Lunar New Year celebration came at a critical moment for strengthening China–Africa relations, particularly during the 2026 China–Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.

She said the gathering took place at a time when nations were increasingly asserting multipolarity based on mutual respect.

“We therefore carry the responsibility to continue this culture as we forge various cooperations and collaborations,” she said.

Mosupyoe said China and South Africa shared cordial relations across business, culture, academia and governance, noting that Gauteng had hosted several Chinese delegations, some of which resulted in memorandums of understanding that were now being implemented.

“I therefore would like to declare here and now that our attendance of this celebration today is a clear demonstration of our full commitment to promoting the relations and cooperations between China and Gauteng,” she said.

Returning to provincial cooperation, Consul General Pan said exchanges between China and Gauteng, as well as China and the Free State, had produced encouraging results, including growth in trade, investment and provincial twinning initiatives.

He also praised Chinese enterprises and local Chinese communities for their contribution to South Africa’s socio-economic development and job creation, as well as the Consulate-General’s charity programmes supporting local communities and young learners.

China is South Africa’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade spanning minerals, manufactured goods, agriculture and energy, and forming a central pillar of South Africa’s engagement with the global South.

The two countries are members of the BRICS grouping and cooperate closely through multilateral platforms, including the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation, which has played a key role in shaping trade, development financing and people-to-people exchanges between China and African countries.

Economic ties between China and South Africa have expanded steadily over the past decade, alongside growing Chinese investment in infrastructure, manufacturing and industrial development, as well as increased South African exports to the Chinese market.

jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za

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