On 7 October 2026, Ren Faqiang, Consul General of China in Cape Town, delivered a speech upon invitation at the 3D@UCT - Distinguished Diplomat Dialogues Forum hosted by the University of Cape Town (UCT), and engaged with the participating faculty and students.

Consul General Ren updated the audience on the latest progress of mutually beneficial economic and trade, cultural, educational, scientific and technological cooperation between Chinese localities and the three Cape provinces under his consular jurisdiction. He noted that China is committed to aligning development strategies, tapping converging interests with South Africa, advancing the all-round strategic cooperative partnership in the new era between China and South Africa.

The atmosphere at the event was warm and dynamic. Young Chinese and South African student representatives shared their firsthand experiences in language learning, campus life and documentary creation, demonstrating the vibrant youth engagement in China-South Africa people-to-people exchange. The event was attended by Professor Brandon Collier-Reed, Acting Vice-Chancellor of UCT, Professor Danie Visser, Acting Director of the International Academic Programmes Office (IAPO), and Ms. Feng Pengpeng, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute, alongside faculty and students of the university.