The year 2013 marked 15 years of the phenomenal diplomatic relations between South Africa and China. The relationship between South Africa and China has been developing since diplomatic ties were established on 1 January 1998. Since then, China-South African bilateral relations have undergone rapid and all-facet development. There were frequent high-level and other kinds of mutual exchanges between the two countries. The bilateral relations within the space of fifteen years have evolved from a Partnership to a Strategic Partnership, and then to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Furthermore, in the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which was set out in the Beijing Declaration signed in 2010, the two countries expressed the desire to further strengthen and deepen cooperation in both bilateral and regional affairs by establishing a comprehensive strategic partnership based on equality, mutual benefit and common development. The agreements range from political dialogue, trade, investment, mineral exploration, manufacturing, and agriculture to joint efforts in the global arena, such as in the United Nations, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), and Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS).