BEIJING — Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan and South African Minister of Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa co-chaired the second meeting of the China-South Africa High-Level People-to-People Exchange Mechanism (PPEM) on Dec 3.

Sun said that since the launch of the PPEM more than a year ago, cooperation between the two sides in various fields has achieved fruitful results and continuously injected new impetus into the development of bilateral relations.

“China-South Africa relations are at a new historical starting point,” she said, noting the two sides should implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state during their visit, boost people-to-people exchanges, and enhance exchange of students studying in each other country.

Sun also called on the two sides to promote the construction of joint research centers in fields including minerals and forestry, and strengthen cooperation on cultural and creative industries, cultural heritage protection, traditional medicine, public health, health management and other fields.

The two sides should also promote cooperation in fields including media, sports, tourism, youth, women, think tanks, localities and archives, make the results of people-to-people exchanges better benefit the common people, and work together to create a new era of China-South Africa friendship, Sun said.

Mthethwa said that the South Africa-China relations were consolidating and developing in recent years.

The two sides should give full play to the PPEM, deepen pragmatic cooperation in various fields so as to lay the social foundation for deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, Mthethwa said.