Aerial photo taken on March 22, 2018 shows the Boao Forum for Asia International Conference Center in Boao Town of Qionghai, south China's Hainan Province. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

JOHANNESBURG, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's Gauteng Province Premier David Makhura on Monday said the province will use China's example of special economy zones to grow the economy and create jobs.

Speaking in his state of the province address in Johannesburg, Makhura stated that they will emulate China's special economic zones to address the challenges the country faces.

"Going forward, we must be more aggressive and decisive in pushing a vision of turning the entire province into a single, multi-tier, mega special economic zone," he said.

"This vision is what Hainan, an island province in China, became when China started the policy of reform and opening which transformed the economy into the second largest economy in the world. Hainan province is a special economic zone in itself," said Makhura.

"This year, Hainan has been declared a new pilot free trade zone, another grand policy initiative of the Chinese government. Our dream is to grow step by step, into a single special economic zone. We are already a compact and highly integrated single economy," he added.

According to fDi Intelligence, a specialist division from Financial Times that provides industry insight and analysis, Gauteng is the seventh largest economy in Africa. It has in the last five years attracted over 14.2 billion U.S. dollars of foreign direct investment and created 30,000 jobs.