16 November 2002
Dear Comrade Hu Jintao - General Secretary of the Central Committee, CPC
On the behalf of the Central Committee and the entire membership of the South African Communist Party, we take this opportunity to warmly congratulate you on your election as the new General Secretary of the Communist Party of China. As the SACP we are quite confident that with your experience both in the Party and the government of China you will perform your duties with dedication and excellence, in the best traditions of your predecessors and in serving the Chinese people and the cause of socialism.
Let us also take this opportunity to congratulate you and the CPC on a very successful 16th Party Congress, which adopted a programme based on the theory of the Three Represents as articulated by former General Secretary, Cde Jiang Zemin. We are looking forward to receiving a report from the 16th Congress and its new programme.
As we said in our message of support to the 16th Congress, we wish to also take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to deepening the relations between our two parties. The SACP is also committed to continuing playing its role in supporting the strengthening of relations between our two peoples and two countries, and the deepening of political, social, economic and cultural ties between our two countries.
From all indications it is clear that the CPC has emerged stronger from its 16th Congress and ready to continue its leadership role of the Chinese people and the cause of socialism. With the SACP itself emerging from its 11th Congress held in July this year, we are looking forward to the continuation of exchanges and sharing of information and experiences between our two parties. Much as our two countries have distinct and different challenges, we however remain convinced that, as we have done in the past, we have a lot to learn from each other and share, thus making our own contributions to the struggle for socialism.
Please pass our sincere thanks to Cde Jiang Zamin for the role he played in deepening the relations between our two parties. We also request that you pass our most sincere congratulations to the newly elected leadership of the CPC, and wish you all the best for the future. We look forward to the continuation and deepening of the already solid bilateral relations between our two parties under your leadership of the CPC.
Once more, congratulations
Yours comradely
Blade Nzimande General Secretary