South Africa edges closer to getting duty-free access to Chinese market
President Cyril Ramaphosa says the priority should be deepening intra-Africa trade.
South Africa's trade minister Parks Tau signed a framework economic partnership agreement on a visit to China, a step towards securing duty-free access to the Chinese market for South African exports, Tau's office said on Friday.
"Minister Parks Tau and his counterpart from the People's Republic of China, Minister Wang Wentao, have signed the Framework Agreement on Economic Partnership for Shared Prosperity," South Africa's trade ministry said in a statement.
"This ... agreement will be followed by negotiation and conclusion of an Early Harvest Agreement by end of March 2026, which will then see China provide duty-free access to South African exported products."
South Africa is seeking to boost exports amid a tariff row with the United States, its second-largest bilateral trading partner after China.
Need to adapt
U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a 30% tariff on South African exports to the U.S. in August, the highest rate in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Last September, the government said the United States' decision to impose a 30% tariff on South African imports highlights the urgency to adapt to increasingly turbulent headwinds in international trade.
“In the coming months, we will be scaling up our trade missions into new markets in Africa and beyond, as well as the National Exporter Development Programme, whose aim is to grow the pool of export-ready companies,” a government statement said at the time.
The US tariffs will in particular hit South Africa's agriculture, automotive and textiles sectors, officials said, although 35% of exports are exempted, including copper, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, lumber articles and certain critical minerals.
Looking to China
South African Deputy Trade Minister Zuko Godlimpi underscored Pretoria’s focus on Chinese investments in manufacturing, services, energy transition and infrastructure, calling the partnership an opportunity to forge "a mutually beneficial future."
Chinese firms already hold a strong investment footprint in South Africa, the continent's most industrialised economy.
Official data showed Chinese foreign direct investment in South Africa was $13.21 billion in 2024, while South African investments in China totalled $8.05 billion.
Minerals account for 93% of South Africa's exports to China, while 92% of Chinese exports to South Africa are manufactured goods. Both nations have expressed a desire to rebalance this pattern.