Peking University, July 23, 2012: Jacob Zuma, president of the Republic of South Africa, and his delegation paid a visit to Peking University (PKU) and was conferred an honorary professorship on July 20, 2012. PKU president Zhou Qifeng attended the meeting and conferring ceremony along with Hao Ping, Vice Minister of Education, and Tian Xuejun, Chinese Ambassador to South Africa.

Zhou welcomed President Zuma on behalf of PKU community. He pointed out that PKU has played an active role in promoting the cooperation between South Africa and China. “PKU has strong relationship with a couple of universities of South Africa and is receiving students from South Africa in International Studies and Chinese Language”, he said, “ in the future, PKU will broaden the cooperation in high education to contribute the established relationship between the two countries”.

Zuma received a certificate of honorary professorship from Zhou afterwards.

In his addresses, Zuma highly spoke of the historic achievements by Chinese government, particularly Chinese space program.

Zuma emphasized the importance of education, “education is important and powerful tool to make the world a better place and no country can succeed without investing in people”. He stated that education in South Africa receives the largest share of government spending and he would make education available and accessible to all South Africans in his term.

“We will put more focus on basic and high education and continue to share the commitment of education between China and South Africa”, he said. Zuma indicated that South Africa would perform the Beijing Declaration firmly and welcome growing number of entrepreneurs in South Africa.

Zuma visited PKU in the middle of his attendance of the two-day Fifth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Ministerial Conference held in Beijing on July 19 to 20.

Reported by: Zhang Jiang