NEW Chinese ambassador to SA, Wu Peng, has hit the ground running barely weeks after arriving to strengthen diplomatic ties between Beijing and Pretoria. Wu begins his term of office at a time when the flourishing bilateral relations between the two nations – well into the 26th year – are described as cruising in the “golden era”. China has been SA’s biggest trading partner for more than a decade – in fact, for 14 years in a row. However, the entire African continent has reaped the benefits of heightened economic cooperation with China over the last 15 years. This clearly…