China South Africa Photo:VCG

South Africa is happy to be part of BRICS, and sees this as an anchor for countries of the Global South to cooperate even more strongly, particularly in the face of rising protectionism and unilateralism, said visiting South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile, urging countries to work together to push for multilateralism.

The remarks were made as the South African delegation attending the South Africa-China Economic and Trade Forum and a roundtable meeting in Beijing on Thursday. During a break in the event, Mashatile and several senior officials from South African government departments received a joint interview with the Global Times and other media outlets.

The US President Donald Trump recently announced that he would subject imports from South Africa to a new 30 percent tariff from August 1, the BBC reported. The US is South Africa's second-biggest trading partner, and South Africa's automobile, farming and textile sectors had duty-free access to the US market under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, the report said.

Commenting on the latest situation, Mashatile said that South Africa is currently engaging with the US over the tariff issue, and will continue to do so.

Tariffs are not good for businesses in South Africa, and they're not good for that of many other countries, he said, noting that they are continuing to engage with them to see what both sides can agree on.

Mashatile added that it's important for South Africa to diversify and look at other markets. "We have been engaging with countries in Europe, countries in Asia, and that's why we are also strengthening our relationship with China, so that we don't focus on a single market," he said.

As the world is facing rising trend of unilateralism and protectionism, highlighted by the US tariffs, Mashatile called on countries to strengthen multilateralism.

Countries need to defend their markets against these tariffs, and they can only do so if they cooperate and work together, he said.

South Africa is happy to be part of BRICS, and sees this as an anchor for countries of the Global South to cooperate even more strongly — particularly in the face of rising protectionism from the West, he said. BRICS countries must work more closely together and cooperate in various fields, such as technology, investment in each other's economies and infrastructure, energy, mining, education and training. 

"And it's already happening, as you can see with our trip here (in China)," he said.

South Africa is ramping up efforts to diversify trading partners. Mashatile said that they are now export more agricultural goods to China, and that's going to increase.

Mashatile also welcomes more Chinese businesses to invest in South Africa. Not just China, but all countries of the Global South must be part of this cooperation, he said.