After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the socialist camp, the political vacuum in Africa left by the major powers has been eagerly filled by China. This article presents an analysis of bilateral relations between China and the Republic of South Africa, one of the leaders of the continent and a member of the G20 and BRICS. The speedy transition to the status of comprehensive strategic partnership declared by the countries’ leaders raises a number of questions about the meaning and realization of such a relationship. The article examines the phenomenon of “strategic partnerships” in China’s bilateral relations with different countries. The author also examines the extent to which the proclaimed strategic partnership correlates with the actual state of relations between the PRC and the South African state. South Africa is valued by China for its role as a “gateway to Africa.” Cooperation between the two countries in BRICS, to which the RSA was invited as an informal representative of Africa, also constitutes an issue worth considering separately, in the author’s view.