The Dalai Lama is welcome to visit South Africa, International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoane-Mashabane said on Thursday.
She added that South Africa's foreign policy was "underpinned by human rights, but that does not mean it can be misinterpreted in the interests of certain quarters".
Nkoane-Mashabane said South Africa hoped to strengthen ties with China and foresaw no change in policy towards the country.
"We've got very sound relations with China and that needs to be strengthened and we will do so," she said.
The name change of her department, from foreign affairs to international relations and cooperation, was a bid by government to ensure a holistic approach to foreign relations which reflected a developmental agenda.
"The name change moves from the premise that foreign policy is based upon and an advancement of domestic priorities at international level," she said.
Source: Mail & Guardian
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