South Africa to host expos in China in Commemoration of the Year of South Africa in China
South Africa will continue to promote its Top Ten projects for investment as well as the export products at the annual South African Expos in China. The Expos will take place from 20-31 October 2014 in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Shanghai and Beijing.
This year marks 16 years of diplomatic ties between South Africa and China and to celebrate this, 2014 has been themed "The Year of South Africa in China".
"South Africa in China celebrations also coincide with South Africa's celebration of 20 years of freedom and democracy. South Africa is therefore conducting a series of activities including cultural promotions, art shows, trade exhibitions and fairs, academic research and educational exchanges in China, with China undertaking a variety of introduction, promotion and exchange activities in South Africa," adds Dr Rob Davies, Minister of Trade and Industry.
According to Davies, the South African Expos in China is a project undertaken in order to execute South Africa's strategic objectives focusing on the Top 10 value-added products and investment projects.
"South Africa's major exports to China have traditionally been mining products, iron and steel, heavy chemicals and non-ferrous metals exports in the region of $5 billion a year. South African imports from China are dominated by clothing, machinery, televisions, communication equipment, furniture and footwear," says Davies.
He adds that South Africa and China entered into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership particularly to strengthen political and economic relations as well as to improve the current trade structure between the two countries.
"The Top 10 identified products and projects cut across different sectors of the economy as outlined in the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP) providing considerable opportunities for South Africa to diversify its export base to China. The South African Expos in China is a strategic project serving as a conduit to accelerate development and industrialisation objectives of the Beijing Declarations," says Davies.
A delegation of 51 South African companies will participate in the expos this year to ensure that trade and investment is increased between the two countries. He says these companies will be in the sectors of agro-processing, chemicals, plastics, steel, aluminium, automotive, electro-technical, manufactured products (chapter 84), capital equipment, paper and pulp, energy and renewable energy, infrastructure, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), transport, mining and minerals beneficiation.
Enquiries:
Sidwell Medupe
Tel: 012 394 1650
Cell: 079 492 1774
E-mail: MSMedupe@thedti.gov.za
