PRETORIA, August 22. /TASS/. China is decisively set to deepen relations with South Africa, irrespective of the change in the international situation, President Xi Jinping said at a press conference after talks with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa.

"I would like to reiterate that irrespective of the change in the international situation, the decisiveness of China to deepen relations of friendship and cooperation with South Africa will not change," the Chinese leader said.

Relations of strategic partnership between the countries have recently entered "the golden age" and cooperation achieved fruitful results, Xi said. "Close coordination and cooperation are maintained in international affairs, which contributed to own development of the two countries," the Chinese leader said, adding that China and South Africa also made a significant contribution to the defense of common interests of developing economies. "The Chinese - South African ties went beyond the framework of bilateral relations and acquired global significance," he added.

Following the talks, the Chinese leader departed to Johannesburg for participation in the BRICS summit.