South Africa wants to strategize relations with China on the economic front

South Africa's new 10-party coalition government aims to increase agricultural exports to China, aiming to strengthen ties with Beijing, stimulate the economy and tackle unemployment.

South Africa seeks to expand its product portfolio to the billion-people market. (Source: Bloomberg)

Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, who was part of the South African delegation to the 9th China-Africa Cooperation Forum summit in Beijing, said the country is focused on building a strong relationship with Beijing, particularly at the technical level, with agricultural products meeting China's phytosanitary and biosecurity requirements.

South Africa already exports large quantities of citrus and beef to China and is looking to expand its product portfolio to the giant market, according to Mr. Steenhuisen.

In 2023, China will surpass the European Union to become South Africa’s largest trading partner, with two-way trade reaching $55.2 billion, with the trade balance tilted in favor of Pretoria. Both countries are BRICS members, sharing the goal of counterbalancing Western influence in the global economy.

“We want to strategize our relationship with Beijing to maximize the benefits for South Africa and are getting more benefits than we are giving up,” said Mr. Steenhuisen.

Minister Steenhuisen leads the Democratic Alliance, a centrist party and Pretoria’s second-largest political party. He joined President Cyril Ramaphosa’s national unity government after the May 29 election failed to produce an outright winner.

Mr. Steenhuisen affirmed that the national unity government quickly got to work and everything was going extremely smoothly.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/nam-phi-muon-chien-luoc-hoa-quan-he-voi-trung-quoc-tren-mat-tran-kinh-te-285134.html