Liu Jianchao, Head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, led a CPC delegation to the 2025 Southern Africa Liberation Movements Summit held in Johannesburg. During the summit, Liu emphasized the importance of strengthened party-to-party solidarity, calling for shared efforts to advance modernization and uphold the interests of Global South nations.
Liu held bilateral exchanges with a number of top leadership figures, including President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa and President of the African National Congress (ANC), as well as ANC Secretary‑General Fikile Mbalula and Treasurer-General Gwen Ramokgopa. He also met with key party leaders from Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, and Angola.
In his remarks, Liu emphasized the shared historical bonds and modern-day convergences between Chinese and African liberation movements. He called for joint action in governance innovation, development strategies, and multilateral cooperation and positioned the CPC as a committed partner to support political capacity-building and sustainable growth across the region.
The summit provides an avenue for liberation movements from Southern African nations to reflect on their role in driving regional socio-economic integration and political stability. Liu’s participation showed China’s expanded focus on party diplomacy, reflecting the CPC’s evolving model of engaging African political actors through state channels and direct party-to-party dialogue.
