Xi said that Ramaphosa has accepted his invitation to make a state visit to China in September, when the South African president will attend the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

Xi said China supports South Africa in making the 10th BRICS Summit, held in Johannesburg from Wednesday to Friday, a successful one.

Ramaphosa called the meeting with Xi a success and said they had a wide range of discussions covering bilateral relations and multilateral issues.

"This year we celebrate 20 years of a very close relationship between China and South Africa," Ramaphosa said, adding that relations have developed consistently in that time.