Video: BRICS embraces Rainbow Nation

BRIC has become BRICS last month as South Africa has officially become the fifth member of the club for emerging economies. South Africa says joining the BRIC cooperation scheme is the best Christmas gift the country could get.

However, doubts and challenges remain both for South Africa and BRICS.

How could BRICS contribute to the world economic recovery? How could BRICS further promote the relations between South Africa and China?

We are honored to have Mr. Bheki Langa, South African ambassador to China, in our studio to talk about these questions.

By Wang Qianyuanxue, People's Daily Online

BHEKI WINSTON JOSHUA LANGA (Dr)

CAREER

1972-1975 Founder member and Secretary of the KwaMashu Youth Organisation (KWAYO)

1972-1974 Founder member and Secretary of Natal Youth Organisation (NYO)

1974-1976 Secretary-General of the National Youth Organisation (NAYO)

1976-1977 Worked in the scholarship section of the African National Congress (ANC) in Dar-es-Salaam and Morogoro, Tanzania

1977-1978 Studied at the Kharkov State University, Ukraine.

1978-1987 Moscow Plekhanov Institute for Economic Policy. Plekhanov

1987-1988 Researcher, Department of Economic Policy (DEP) of the ANC in Lusaka, Zambia

1988-1989 Part-time Lecturer in Economics and Commerce, National Institute for Public Administration (NIPA), Lusaka Zambia

1990-1991 Post-graduate studies at the University of Warwick and the University of Manchester

1992-1994 Research Co-ordinator and Senior Research Officer for the Macro-Education Policy Unit (MEPU) and later Senior Researcher at the Centre for Community and Labour Studies (CCLS), University of Durban-Westville

1994-1996 Joined the civil service and worked as Private Secretary to the then Minister of Economic Affairs and Tourism for KwaZulu-Natal, Mr Jacob Zuma

1996-2003 Chief Director, Department of Economic Affairs and Tourism in KwaZulu-Natal. Responsibilities included:

1996-1999 Tourism, Trade and Industry
1999-2002 SMME Development and Internal Trade
2002-2003 Sector and Business Development

2003-2005 Executive Director of the National Institute for Economic Policy (NIEP)

July 2005-Aug 2010 South Africa’s Ambassador to the Russian Federation

From September 2010 appointed South Africa’s Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China.