China, South Africa pledge to promote political settlement of war in Ukraine

The leaders of the two countries, Xi Jinping and Cyril Ramaphosa, made a joint statement published by Xinhua.

According to the statement, South Africa and China support a global system centered on the UN, a just international order based on international law, which should regulate relations between states, as well as the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including the principles of respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"The two sides further agreed that dialogue and negotiation is the only viable option for resolving the Ukraine conflict, and they will continue to promote talks for peace and play a constructive role in the political settlement of the issue," the statement said.

In addition, China welcomed the recent Ukrainian-Russian peacekeeping mission of African leaders.

In turn, South Africa drew attention to China's efforts to promote and strengthen relations between states based on inclusive multilateralism and congratulated China for its leadership role in promoting peaceful global cooperation. In response, China expressed support for a more significant role for South Africa in the UN, G20 and other multilateral mechanisms.

China also supported South Africa's presidency of the G20 in 2025.

BRICS summit: details

The summit of the BRICS countries’ leaders, representing Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and India, started in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Tuesday, August 22. It will last until August 24. 

The summit will focus on expanding the use of local currencies in the bloc's member countries. They will also discuss the expansion of the bloc. 

In particular, the Russian leader Vladimir Putin is participating in the summit remotely; meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov went to South Africa for the event. On August 22, Vladimir Putin said in an address to the participants that Russia was ready to re-engage in the grain deal if its requirements were met.