South Africa’s National Assembly has signed an agreement with its Chinese equivalent, the 3000-member National People’s Congress.
The agreement formalises ”a strategic political partnership” between the two legislatures, Parliament’s public affairs sector said in a statement on Tuesday.
It was signed in Beijing by National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete — who is on a 10-day visit to China — and her Chinese counterpart, Wu Bangguo.
”The inter-parliamentary agreement provides for a creative people-to-people dimension, and a strong monitoring mechanism for the comprehensive bilateral programme of cooperation signed by the two countries earlier this year.
”The memorandum of understanding, as the agreement is called, commits the two Parliaments to monitor the implementation of the bilateral agreement, which includes cooperation in economic, agricultural, technology, judicial and military fields, among others,” the statement read. — Sapa