South Africa and the Chinese government have "committed to strengthening cooperation in the area of ICT and cyberspace", according to the telecoms department.
This was concluded during the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services' (DTPS's) South Africa-China Internet roundtable held in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal at the weekend.
However, the department has not provided further clarity on what the cooperation agreement will entail.
According to the DTPS, deputy minister Hlengiwe Mkhize and vice-minister of Cyber Space Administration of the People's Republic of China, Wang Xiujun, concluded a successful Internet roundtable meeting.
Other representatives who served as part of the roundtable delegation included members of government departments, state-owned companies, the private sector, ICT small, micro and medium-sized enterprises, industry associations, advisory bodies and other government agencies.
A DTPS statement says the deputy ministers concluded a bilateral meeting which focused on strengthening ties between the governments in terms of ICT. Some of the issues covered during the meeting were e-government and cyber security.
Strategies to encourage safe practices online were explored during the bilateral meeting, reads the DTPS statement.
"We need to find ways of analysing data to help us improve the protection of the vulnerable people online, focusing on women and the youth," according to Mkhize.
Wang added: "We would like to encourage the cooperation between Chinese and South African enterprises to push forward the digital development to benefit the people of both countries."
Ahead of the SA-China Internet roundtable, Democratic Alliance (DA) shadow minister for telecommunications and postal services, Marian Shinn, noted the department's meeting to discuss Internet issues with the Chinese government was cause for concern.
The DA maintains the Chinese are an inappropriate source of counsel in terms of the Internet sphere, said Shinn in a statement.
"China has a dubious reputation as being one of the world's most repressive Internet regimes, clamping down on political opponents, journalists and citizens critical of the government. Added to this, China is also known as an enthusiastic cyber warfare practitioner," she explained.
Shinn added: "My concern about the outcomes of the intergovernmental talks stems from the minister of telecommunications and postal services, Siyabonga Cwele's refusal to name the South African and Chinese government representatives, most likely Cabinet ministers, who signed the ICT co-operation last year."
This obsessive secrecy rings alarm bells about what restrictive actions the ANC-led government plans for Internet-based communication, she stated.
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