Remarks by Deputy President Paul Mashatile during a business dinner in Shanghai

Deputy-Minister Candith Mashego-Dlamini;
Deputy-Minister Nomalungelo Gina;
Deputy-Minister Nokuzola Capa;
Ambassador of South Africa to China, Dr Siyabonga Cwele;
SA Consul-General in Shanghai, Phuti Tsipa;
Chairperson of the Shanghai CCPIT T, Mr  Zhao;
CEOs, Managing Directors and Heads of Organisations; 
Distinguished Businesspeople;
The South African Community at Large; 
Ladies and Gentlemen 

It is my pleasure to be meeting with you this evening during the hosting of the 6th China International Import Expo. I have been here in China since the 2nd of November to participate in the 8th South Africa - China Binational Commission. 

The BNC reviewed the progress made in implementing the commitments that our two governments had made at the 7th Bi-National Commission in 2019.

The BNC acknowledged the continuous increase in the total volume of bilateral trade from R544 billion in 2021 to R614 billion in 2022. However, as South Africa we are concerned about the growing trade deficit in China’s favour (R155 billion in 2022, up from R49 billion in 2021). 

We believe that we need to address the structure of trade, to improve market access and broaden South Africa's export trade basket to China through more value-added goods. 

As the first step towards restructuring trade, we are pleased that the BNC agreed to support the establishment of the South Africa-China Chamber of Commerce based in Beijing. The Chamber will be a first for Africa and will contribute towards increased visibility of South African business in China, and illustrates our commitment to building sustainable and long-term economic relations. 

Once the South African Chamber of Commerce is established, it should also function as China’s entry into the opportunities represented by the African Continental Free Trade Area.
 
South Africa and China regularly adopt common positions in the BRICS bloc. You will recall at the 15th BRICS Summit that South Africa hosted, our two countries agreed to expand the membership to other countries for greater global influence and impact. 

We are also working on improving our visa system, this include making sure that systems and languages work together so that businesspeople can easily apply for and register for business visas.

In addition to refining application requirements to expedite the process of obtaining a work visa, the reforms would decentralise the adjudication of visa applications to foreign missions. 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We continue to make significant strides in our bilateral relations and have elevated our relations to that of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership which enables collaboration across political, socio-economic and technical areas of co-operation.

I therefore invite you to take a tour of our Pavilions at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre. 

Here you will witness a wide range of value-added products in the diverse sectors of Creative Industries, Medical Equipment; Clothing and Textiles; Cosmetics; Metals; Mining and Engineering Services; Manufacturing; Aerospace and Defence Technologies. 

We are confident that businesspeople who participate in the multi-sectoral expo will not only find markets for their products through the business-to-business meetings that the CIIE has organised, but they will also identify opportunities for joint trade and investment ventures. 

We firmly believe that our co-operation will pave the way for increased trade and investment linkages between our two countries. It is the private sector that can translate all of our efforts into tangible technical, financial and human resource investments. 

We thank the business community for your continued commitment in growing the trade and economic relationship. This is a sign of more than 25 year of bonds of friendship between South Africa and People’s Republic of China.

I am grateful to our two Deputy Ministers, Ambassador Cwele, Consul-General Tsipa and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade for arranging this important engagement with the South African business community that is based here in Shanghai.  

I thank you