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Alsharq Tribune-Otaify
A China-South Africa trade forum was held in Cape Town on Friday, with participants expressing confidence in deeper bilateral trade cooperation following China's zero-tariff measures for 53 African countries.
The China-South Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum was jointly organized by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and South Africa's Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, drawing more than 350 political and business representatives.
These included over 70 Chinese and 110 South African company executives, who held talks on cooperation in sectors including agriculture, manufacturing, energy and mining, finance, automobiles and logistics.
South Africa's Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Alexandra Abrahams told Xinhua that China's zero-tariff measures will allow African products to enter the Chinese market duty-free and are expected to attract more Chinese investment into Africa, particularly South Africa. "I do believe it's a win-win situation," she said.
Asked about the outlook for bilateral trade ties, Abrahams noted that China has been South Africa's largest trading partner for many years, while South Africa is China's largest trading partner on the African continent.
"So there's a really sound foundation of economic partnership, and I would like to believe that we can only go from strength to strength in the years to come," she said.
Russel Brueton, Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer of the Western Cape Tourism, Trade, and Investment Promotion Agency (Wesgro), who delivered a speech at the forum, stressed that China will remain a key market for local exporters.
He told Xinhua that expanding trade with China will help achieve the province's goals of inclusive and sustainable growth while creating more local jobs.
Speaking about China's zero-tariff measures, Brueton said, "Any measure that helps make it easier for trade between China and South Africa is warmly welcomed and something that we will focus on leveraging."
He added that the Western Cape and South Africa are gaining growing access to the world's second-largest economy, presenting enormous opportunities for local products to reach new buyers and markets. "That is a win-win for both countries," he said.
The favorable policies are also expected to bring tangible opportunities for Chinese enterprises operating in South Africa.
Wang Jian, CEO of Aberdare Cable, a South African company acquired by Hengtong Optic-Electric in 2016, noted that as a local manufacturer, South Africa's supply chain is not yet fully developed, and many raw materials, including plastics, copper, and aluminum, rely on imports largely from China.
"With zero-tariff measures, it will greatly benefit our costs, our future capacity expansion, and the stability of our raw material supply," he said, expressing strong optimism about the future of China-South Africa cooperation.
The forum further boosted Chinese companies' confidence in the South African market.
Shenzhen Skyworth Photovoltaic Technology Co Ltd, which has been operating in South Africa for 14 years and has set up television and set-top box factories there, was represented by its Chairman Fan Ruiwu at the forum.
Fan said the platform provided by the forum will allow Chinese companies to bring competitive new energy products -- such as photovoltaics, energy storage, and new energy vehicles -- to Africa, while also facilitating direct connections between Chinese and South African companies.
"I believe that South Africa's already competitive agriculture and healthcare industries, for example, may quickly increase their exports to China under the zero-tariff treatment," he told Xinhua.
"And as Chinese consumers recognize South African products, Chinese companies will in turn increase their investment in South Africa," he said. "Through this two-way effort, we believe the overall economic and trade growth between the two sides will be significant."
According to Fan, Skyworth's development in South Africa reflects the deepening cooperation in industrial and supply chains between the two countries.
This not only meets South Africa's actual needs but also demonstrates the strategic upgrade of Chinese enterprises from "going global" to "going deep," he added.
The Friday forum coincided with the 100th day of island-wide special customs operations at the Hainan Free Trade Port in China. Lu Ping, CEO of Hainan Free Trade Zone Dehang Group, said that leveraging the policy advantages of the free trade port, her company hopes to better integrate South Africa's specialty industries -- such as abalone farming and processing -- with China's policy dividends to facilitate bilateral cooperation.
She noted that the free trade port enables "early harvest" gains from such policies, while national-level exhibitions such as the China International Supply Chain Expo and the China International Consumer Products Expo help facilitate bilateral trade cooperation and ease South African companies' exports to China.
"We are full of confidence in the future, especially in the context of the current international uncertainties," Lu said. "China offers a degree of certainty, and the policy framework of the trade agreements between the two countries adds even more weight to this certainty."
The deepening economic and trade cooperation between China and South Africa is also injecting new momentum into cultural and tourism exchanges. General Manager of Beijing Green and Blue Culture Media Co Ltd, Xiao Meng, told Xinhua that the zero-tariff move provides a strong platform for cultural exchange and tourism cooperation between the two countries.
"So I very much look forward to building on this foundation to form a positive cycle between cultural exchange and cultural industry cooperation between the two sides in the future," she said.
