President Xi Jinping has encouraged South African students learning the Chinese language and culture at a local Confucius Institute to develop friendship between the two countries, and contribute to promoting China-Africa friendship and cooperation and building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Xi made the remarks in reply to a letter from the faculty and students of the Confucius Institute at Durban University of Technology in South Africa. The reply letter was made public on Friday.

Xi said that he witnessed the establishment of the Confucius Institute at Durban University of Technology 10 years ago and was pleased to see that, through the joint efforts of both sides, educational and cultural exchanges between the two countries have yielded fruitful results.

A great number of South African young people have gained knowledge about China's history and culture, increased their career options, and realized their dreams by learning Chinese, he said.

The president noted that China and South Africa are both important developing countries, and they have forged a special comradely fraternal friendship.

Learning and understanding each other's language and culture contributes to facilitating mutual understanding and cultivating everlasting friendship between the people of the two countries, he said.

While having a good command of the Chinese language, the teachers and students are welcome to visit China more often and have a deeper understanding of China, share a true, multidimensional and panoramic view of China with more friends, and act as envoys for inheriting and developing the friendship between the two countries, he added.

During his visit to South Africa in March 2013, Xi witnessed the signing of an agreement between China and South Africa on the joint establishment of the Confucius Institute at Durban University of Technology.

Since its establishment 10 years ago, the institute has trained nearly 10,000 students. Fifty teachers and students from the institute recently wrote to Xi, sharing their experience, achievements and feelings in learning Chinese.

They expressed appreciation to Xi and the Chinese government for providing more opportunities to African young people to pursue their dreams, saying that they look forward to Xi's upcoming visit to South Africa.