Day: September 6, 2024

With the agreements that South Africa has signed with China in relation to trade, the country will see an increase in the imports of agricultural and manufactured products to China.

‘We were able to sign eight agreements, many of which have to do with increased trade between the two countries and that has led to the opening up of the Chinese market for South African products, particularly with regards to beef,’ President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday in Beijing, China.

Addressing members of the media on the conclusion of his visit to the People’s Republic of China, Ramaphosa said the importation of beef into the Chinese market kept fluctuating as a number of areas in South Africa were affected by livestock diseases such as foot and mouth disease.

‘That is a great achievement because it will lead to the increase of our agricultural products coming into China and we should see increased production in South Africa. Whenever such an occurrence would happen, they would ban the whole country, and we were abl
e to reach an agreement that if there is an outbreak of foot and mouth disease it would just be restricted to one area in the country.

‘That is a great achievement because it will lead to the increase of our agricultural products coming into China and we should see increased production in South Africa.

‘The other area is for manufactured goods and products, to have an easier entry into China. With the agreement that we signed we were able to ensure that China would enable more manufactured goods from South Africa to be brought in. That for us is an important development,’ the President said.

Agreements

He noted that China has achieved enormous development in technological development.

‘We were able to reach an agreement on science, technology and innovation in terms of cooperation in relation to innovation research and we were able to have good discussions.

‘We were able to reach agreements on aspects of our energy security. South Africa has been going through a huge challenge of energy security. China’
s assistance in this regard is going to stand us in good stead so therefore our other objective was achieved.

‘We also wanted enhanced cooperation on international issues in relation to our cooperation in BRICS is consolidated and solidified and in other multilateral organisations such as the United Nations and financial institutions that there needs to be reforms,’ the President explained.

Relations with China

He said at a state level, South Africa has achieved a great deal during the visit to China.

‘Our visit has been hugely successful. We will see a lot of progress in the country in developing our relationship with China, remembering that China is the second largest economy in the world. For us as South Africa it is important for us to promote our relations with China.

‘China is our biggest trading partner, and we want an all-round cooperative strategic partnership in the new era to take it to a higher level. President Xi Jinping is at pains when he talks about not having enough manufactured goods fr
om South Africa. He wants to see more goods in China from South Africa.’

To this end, President Xi opened the Chinese market for African countries to come and exploit the Chinese market.

‘As the most industrialised country on the continent South Africa stands to benefit immensely from this relationship. This is an important market for us as South Africans. This is a county that is willing to deal with us at a very serious, economic and political level.

‘This is an important market, and we have seen increased trade between our two countries. At the moment, the trade is imbalanced and in favour of China, rather than in our favour and it is this that we are focusing on, to correct that imbalance.

‘That is why we welcome the opening up of the Chinese market for more and more finished goods from South Africa.

‘We want to upgrade that economic activity to a higher level, so we are able to bring in more finished mineral goods, products or commodities into China and more finished agricultural products,’ the Pres
ident said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

President Cyril Ramaphosa says he does not believe that China invests in countries on the African continent with the intention of putting them in debt.

‘Our experience is that China seeks to promote a mutually beneficial relationship with countries it engages with on the continent,’ the President said on Thursday in Beijing, China.

Addressing members of the media at the conclusion of his State Visit to the People’s Republic of China, he said President Xi Jinping demonstrated that China’s relationship with Africa was mutually beneficial when he upgraded the relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

‘That has a lot of meaning politically… I don’t believe the relationship is oppressive, that it is neo colonial. It should be seen as a mutually beneficial relationship that is based on recognition, respect and advancing each county’s own development.

‘China is much more focused on the development of countries on our continent. We must remember that China has never been a colonial power on the Af
rican continent. It is a relationship that is based on good intentions, and we respect that. That is why we are as African countries committed to enhancing our relationship with China.

‘We can see genuineness, respect … We see China as a partner that seeks to foster the development of our continent,’ the President said.

President Ramaphosa welcomed the 10 strategic actions that China proposed to enhance its relationship with Africa. They range from economic relations, trade, health, security, energy and how Africa and China deal with each other at multilateral institutions level.

‘The African continent found this most meaningful, and it just shows that the partnership that we have with China is a partnership that is based on mutual benefit where we want all of us to benefit and succeed.

‘It’s not a one-way partnership. It’s a partnership that is based on upgrading our own relations to a point where we attract investments from China and improve trade.

‘This has been a successful visit to China. We are g
rateful for the manner in which China conducts its relations not only with South Africa but the rest of the continent with recognition with respect and due regard to one another.

That is what we call good relations between states,’ Ramaphosa said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping announced on Thursday that China will voluntarily and unilaterally widen its market to African countries.

Source: South African Government News Agency

With the recent political developments in South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa has assured China’s President Xi Jinping of South Africa’s commitment to continue adhering to its policies with its Asian counterpart.

Addressing members of the media on the conclusion of his visit to China, Ramaphosa said he briefed President Xi on the setting up of the Government of National Unity (GNU) and how it is structured.

‘We heard concerns that they may have had about South Africa’s policy with China. We assured him that South Africa will continue to adhere to the policy that we have had over 30 years of recognising the one China policy.

The President said his Chinese counterpart was assured that the coming in of the other parties in the Government of National Unity would not dilute or erase the policy position of both countries.

He explained that government has taken the decision of taking South Africa into a new era, an era of cooperative governance, working together with other political parties and where all pa
rties in the GNU would jointly advance the interests of South Africa.

‘We discussed the political development in our country, and he was satisfied that we are on the right path of forging unity in South Africa, of promoting social cohesion and getting all parties to work for the development of our country.

‘Our other objective in terms of [the]outcomes was to work on our economic challenges. We briefed him on the priorities of the Government of National Unity that we want as a united government to focus on economic development, particularly to tackle the challenge of unemployment and to have an all-inclusive growth economic trajectory.

‘We briefed him on other priorities, such as building more capacity in the state and that we have local government that will be introspective and efficient to serve the interests of South Africans and to improve skills,’ the President said.

He added that the people of South Africa decided on the new political governance architecture in the country.

‘We have embraced it and
we will continue to see some benefits of it as people in the various political parties will be sharing views, experiences and aspirations. It is a change process, a transformative process that in my view is going to bode well for South Africa and the people of South Africa. We should be grateful for this new era and new process that we are all involved in. It will be at the advantage of all South Africans,’ the President said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Government says with so many police officers continuing to lose their lives at the hands of criminals, it can not be business as usual.

‘This is unacceptable,’ said Deputy President Paul Mashatile on Thursday, as he engaged Members of Parliament (MPs) in the National Assembly on matters related to his delegated responsibilities.

The country’s second-in-command provided an update on measures taken to prevent further loss of life considering the incidences of exchange of fire and fatal shootings between members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and alleged criminals.

The Deputy President spoke at the SAPS National Commemoration Day at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Sunday where government honoured the 39 women and men in blue who died in the line of duty between April 2023 to March 2024. Their names have been engraved on the SAPS memorial wall at the Union Buildings as a symbol of gratitude for the sacrifices made in serving and protecting the nation.

Yesterday, he cited Police Minister Senzo
Mchunu’s ministerial statement released last week which reported that Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Eastern Cape currently carry 73% of crime levels in South Africa.

‘The gravity of these crimes alone, including extortion, is of serious concern to us over and above their concentration,’ he added.

The Minister outlined the State’s approach to fighting crime, which includes initiating the signing of cooperative agreements with provincial and local governments with operational plans seeking to integrate resources against crime.

‘Equally, Minister Mchunu and General [Fannie] Masemola have confirmed to me that the Police Operational Plan currently being rolled out in Cape Town will be replicated in all metros in the country,’ he told Parliamentarians.

The plan includes partnering with Community Policing Forums (CPFs) and private security companies.

‘Honourable Speaker, having appreciated the magnitude of the levels of criminality in the country, especially in KwaZulu-Natal, the National Commissione
r of Police issued National Instruction 1 of 2016 on the use of force in effecting an arrest, to regulate the use of force by police officials during arrests.

‘This instruction clearly sets out the legal requirements that must be followed to ensure that the conduct of a police official is lawful and reasonable. The police are required to prevent, combat, and investigate crime; maintain public order; protect and secure the Republic’s inhabitants and property; and uphold and enforce the law, as outlined in Section 205 of the country’s Constitution.’

However, fighting crime should not only be the responsibility of SAPS alone. ‘Ourselves in this House as well as communities are expected to work with the police to fight criminal activities and help to identify criminals.’

The Deputy President told his colleagues that criminals are people who live in communities and residents know where they live.

‘We urge all community members to inform the police of criminals’ whereabouts to enable them to promptly respond an
d arrest all criminal elements in our communities to avoid the current shoot-out between police and criminals.

‘In this regard, we call on communities to work together in strengthen CPFs.’

Source: South African Government News Agency