China has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthen economic cooperation with South Africa, pledging to work jointly on reinforcing the multilateral trading system and advancing a zero-tariff plan for South African exports. The announcement was made during talks between Chinese Premier Li Qiang and President Cyril Ramaphosa, as reported by Xinhua.
According to Xinhua, Li said Beijing is ready to accelerate implementation of zero-tariff treatment for qualifying South African goods, a move officials say could expand market access and support South Africa’s industrialisation goals. The state news agency noted that both countries also underscored the importance of defending multilateralism and promoting fairer global trade rules.
The discussions come at a time when China is deepening its commercial engagements across Africa. Reuters previously reported that Beijing has been pushing broader tariff-removal initiatives on African exports as part of efforts to boost trade volumes and rebalance economic ties. The latest commitment with South Africa aligns with that wider strategy.
Analysts say the zero-tariff plan could draw additional Chinese investment into priority sectors such as manufacturing, mining and green technology, while giving South African exporters greater leverage in one of the world’s largest consumer markets, according to commentary from Xinhua.
