Chinese leader visits

Jiang Zemin, the President of the People's Republic of China, on Monday arrived in South Africa on a four-day state visit where trade and investment issues will be high on the agenda, media reports said. According to the reports, the highlight of Jiang's visit is likely to be the creation of a bi-national commission that will work to expand trade and diplomatic links between the two countries. In 1999, South Africa's exports to China amounted to about US $23 million while its imports from China reached US $76 million, according to South Africa's trade statistics. The reports said it is likely the government of President Thabo Mbeki will try to persuade China to buy gold and manufactured goods directly from South Africa in the future, so as to eliminate the trade imbalance between the two countries.