• South Africa, China sign trade cooperation deal at JETC meeting
• Agreement targets duty-free access, investment, higher-value South African exports
• Move follows U.S. tariff dispute, as Pretoria pivots toward Asian markets

South African Trade Minister Parks Tau and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Wentao, have signed a trade and investment cooperation agreement on the sidelines of this week’s Joint Economic and Trade Commission (JETC) meeting. The framework is designed to give South African exports duty-free access to the Chinese market while attracting increased Chinese investment into South Africa.

The talks focused on strengthening bilateral economic ties, boosting trade flows, and promoting higher-value South African exports. Discussions also covered strategic sectors including industrialisation, infrastructure, agricultural trade, renewable energy, and technology cooperation.

The move comes as South Africa faces a major tariff dispute with the United States, its second-largest trading partner, which has resulted in the imposition of 30% customs duties. Against this backdrop, authorities are increasingly turning to Asian markets to secure more favourable trade terms for key sectors such as mining, agriculture, and manufacturing.

Trade between Pretoria and Beijing has grown steadily in recent years, with China emerging as a key market for South African minerals, agricultural products, and manufactured goods. At the same time, South Africa imports a wide range of machinery, electronic equipment, and consumer goods from China.

According to the International Trade Center (ITC), trade between the two countries reached $4.5 billion in 2024, a figure expected to rise under the new agreement.

Ingrid Haffiny