South Africa pushes to increase trade exports to China amid US' 30% tariff hike
US tariff of 30 per cent from August 1,
South Africa is intensifying efforts to significantly grow its exports to
China and address a persistent trade imbalance.
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A high-level delegation, led by Deputy President Paul Mashatile, has been on a
week-long visit to Beijing, seeking
investments and pitching strategic opportunities to diversify the nation's export basket beyond basic commodities towards higher-value products such as pharmaceuticals, automotive goods and green energy
technologies
In a speech at the South Africa China Investment Forum, held on the sidelines of the third China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) in
Beijing earlier this week, Mashatile said South Africa's trade deficit with China had risen from less than US$1 billion (7.2 billion yuan) annually between 1988 and 2000 to US$9.71 billion (69.7 billion yuan) by 2023.
'We need to address challenges such as access to the Chinese market due to factors like tariff and non-tariff barriers, distance and competition from other countries,' he said.
South Africa is seeing a growing
trade deficit that heavily favours China, and Mashatile explained that tackling these challenges required expanding South Africa's export portfolio, encouraging value-added exports and establishing a more balanced trade relationship.
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