Chongqing - Officials from South Africa’s Free State Province spoke highly of Chongqing’s urban development, advanced manufacturing and social governance practices during the 2026 Chongqing International Friendship Cities Cooperation Conference, expressing hopes for deeper cooperation in areas including tourism, renewable energy and investment.
Moses Ketso Makume, MEC of Free State Province, South Africa, said the long-standing friendship between China and South Africa has laid a solid foundation for future cooperation.
He said the Free State delegation came to Chongqing to learn more about advanced manufacturing, logistics, smart infrastructure and urban planning.
"We were very impressed by what we saw in Chongqing," he said. "We really want to learn from its development experience."
Makume noted that the largely rural Free State hopes to promote urbanization, attract investment and ensure development benefits more communities.
He also highlighted tourism as a promising area for cooperation and expressed hopes for closer tourism partnerships with Chongqing.
“We found many similarities between our regions,” he said. “The Free State is open and ready for investment.”
Meanwhile, MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae, Premier of Free State Province, South Africa, said the delegation was impressed not only by Chongqing’s economic development, but also by its community governance and public services.
She praised volunteer programs, community care initiatives and support services for elderly residents living alone.
“It’s like building a civic society,” she said, adding that social development also contributes to economic growth.
The premier noted that this was the first time the Free State had attended the conference as a provincial-level delegation and expressed hopes for deeper cooperation and investment ties with Chongqing.
She also highlighted the province’s abundant land resources, particularly for renewable energy development, and welcomed more Chinese investors.
According to Letsoha-Mathae, Chinese companies are already involved in solar energy projects in the Free State, while agriculture and tourism remain key pillars of the province’s economy.
“We are learning a great deal from Chongqing,” she said, adding that she had been impressed by the city’s development and was pleased with the outcomes of the visit so far.
As exchanges between the two regions continue to grow, both sides expressed optimism that the visit would open new opportunities for cooperation in tourism, renewable energy, investment and people-to-people exchanges, further strengthening ties between Chongqing and South Africa’s Free State Province.