South Africa and China have agreed a new set of measures to deepen cooperation in digital education, technical skills development and student mobility, with artificial intelligence positioned as a central pillar of the expanded partnership.
The agreement follows bilateral talks between Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela and China’s Vice Minister of Education Xu Qingsen, held on the sidelines of the World Digital Education Conference in Hangzhou on Tuesday. The meeting produced a framework aimed at strengthening collaboration on AI in education, vocational training and industry-linked education pathways.
Among the agreed outcomes are the establishment of a structured cooperation framework on AI in education and digital transformation, and the creation of a Joint Technical Working Group to oversee the rollout of China–South Africa Vocational and Technical Centres across all nine of South Africa’s provinces. The two countries also committed to expanding technical and vocational education and training cooperation, with programmes aligned to AI, robotics, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing.
Manamela said the partnership is shifting from isolated projects to a coordinated system of cooperation directly supporting industrialization, employment and youth development. “This engagement is about translating political commitments into practical outcomes that deliver at scale,” he said.
The bilateral meeting also resolved to strengthen scholarship programmes, with funding increasingly aligned to South Africa’s industrial priorities including AI, engineering, green energy, advanced manufacturing and the development of TVET lecturers. South Africa and China are jointly administering multiple scholarship programmes, including initiatives targeting young people not in education, employment or training, as well as sector-specific training supported by South Africa’s Sector Education and Training Authorities. Both countries agreed to expand postgraduate study opportunities and joint research initiatives in the next phase of cooperation.
A central focus of the talks was strengthening education-to-employment pathways. Existing cooperation between South African and Chinese institutions includes a partnership with Beijing Polytechnic College, through which a cohort of South African TVET students has completed specialized training in new energy vehicle and hybrid technologies. Chinese automaker BYD has committed to providing internships and employment opportunities to those graduates.
Another agreed outcome is improved alignment of short-term training programmes with South African development priorities. Future programmes will focus on areas including AI governance, digital learning systems, industrial policy and digital public infrastructure, with the aim of strengthening institutional capacity across government and the post-school education sector.
The bilateral engagement builds on commitments made during the 9th Session of the South Africa–China Bi-National Commission earlier this year, where both countries agreed to deepen cooperation across multiple sectors. Manamela said South Africa sees the partnership as part of a broader strategy positioning the country as a gateway for China–Africa collaboration in education and skills development.
“We are ready to move from a relationship defined by individual projects to one characterised by coordinated systems cooperation,” he said. “South Africa is ready to move from a relationship characterised by individual projects to one defined by coordinated systems cooperation, cooperation that contributes directly to industrialisation, employment, youth development, and the building of capable institutions on both sides.”
