Chinese President Xi Jinping inspects the guard of honor during a welcoming ceremony held by his South African counterpart Jacob Zuma before their talks in Pretoria, South Africa, Dec 2, 2015. [Photo by Huang Jingwen/Xinhua]

In an article "A Rainbow of Friendship" published on the Star newspaper of South Africa ahead of his visit, Xi said though geographically far apart from each other, the people of China and South Africa have enjoyed a friendship that becomes increasingly solid with the passage of time.

China-South Africa relations have gone beyond the bilateral scope and gained growing strategic significance and global impact, he wrote, noting the two countries stand ready to work together and seize the opportunities and momentum to take their comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights to better serve their peoples.

Xi's visit is hailed by the South African media, which said Africa is ready to learn from the Chinese model of development.

"Some of the key lessons to be learnt from China are how to implement an economic model tailored with the country's characteristics," given Africa's unique development challenges, the Pretoria News said.

EYES ON AFRICA

After his stay in Pretoria, Xi will leave for Johannesburg for a summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), with the theme of "Africa-China Progressing Together: Win-Win Cooperation for Common Development."

China will facilitate South Africa's efforts to lead China-Africa cooperation on production capability and promote Africa's industrialization, encourage more financing for South Africa, and support the early launch of the establishment of an African regional center for the New Development Bank for BRICS countries, Xi told Zuma.

The two sides will jointly chart the course of cooperation within the next three years, with an aim to accelerate Africa's industrialization process and help Africa achieve sustainable development, Xi added.