(Bloomberg) — South Africa’s new coalition government of 10 wants to increase agricultural exports to China, part of a campaign to forge closer ties with the Asian nation, boost its economy and tackle its 34% unemployment rate.
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“We are focused on ensuring that we build strong relations with China and that our agricultural products meet China’s phytosanitary and biosafety requirements at a technical level,” Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, who is part of a South African delegation attending the ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Wednesday.
South Africa already supplies large quantities of citrus fruits and beef to China and is keen to expand its product range, he said.
China overtook the European Union as South Africa’s largest trading partner last year, with two-way flows totaling $55.2 billion and the balance tipped in Pretoria’s favor. The two countries are both members of the BRICS bloc of developing nations, which also includes Brazil, Russia and India, and the grouping aims to challenge Western dominance of the global economy.
“We look forward to using this relationship in a strategic way to benefit South Africa,” Steenhuisen said. “I think we will gain much more from the relationship than we will lose.”
Steenhuisen is the leader of the centrist Democratic Alliance, South Africa’s second-largest political party. He joined President Cyril Ramaphosa’s so-called government of national unity after the May 29 election produced no clear winner.
“The unity government has taken off like a rocket,” he said. “It’s going incredibly well.”
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