JOHANNESBURG, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- South African officials and experts have welcomed the signing of an agreement with China, saying that it is expected to give South African goods duty-free access to the Chinese market.
Signed last week during a visit to China by Parks Tau, South Africa's Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, the Framework Agreement on Economic Partnership paves the way for an Early Harvest Agreement due by the end of March 2026, which will grant duty-free access for South African exports and encourage more Chinese investment.
Speaking to Xinhua at the Chinese New Year reception in Johannesburg on Monday, Ntombizanele Sifuba, a member of the Free State Executive Council for sports, arts, culture and recreation, said the move would help create and sustain jobs, and grow the economy.
"There are countries that have been threatening us with tariffs, and this opportunity will go a long way in boosting our economy. This is a progressive move. China is choosing not to develop alone but to pull others up. This will help to save jobs and cushion us against tariffs," said Sifuba.
She noted that South Africa faces persistently high unemployment and welcomed China's support in addressing the challenge. Official data showed the country's unemployment rate stood at 31.9 percent in the third quarter of 2025.
Gregory Nthatisi, executive mayor of Mangaung Municipality in Free State Province, also welcomed the continued strengthening of relations between South Africa and China. He said Mangaung was keen to work with Chinese partners in manufacturing to produce goods for export to China. "We would like to collaborate with the Chinese to construct the railway line, boost energy production, skills transfer, and construction of houses," said Nthatisi.
Hlompo Mphanje, a strategic networks specialist of the Mayor's office of Johannesburg, said the agreement was expected to bring tangible benefits to people in South Africa and China.
"We welcome the agreement as it will contribute to our economic development and improve the lives of our people. We want to make Johannesburg a world-class city, and we look forward to working with China on that. We expect the agreement would help create job opportunities, and we expect more skills and people-to-people exchanges," said Mphanje.
Gideon Chitanga, researcher at the University of Johannesburg Centre for Africa-China Studies, said the agreement would expand South African markets and contribute to economic growth.
"This is a free trade agreement which will broaden South African markets, particularly for agricultural goods. Expanding traditional markets for agricultural products is important to grow the sector, which is one of the largest employers," said Chitanga.
South Africa's agricultural sector was hit the hardest by the 30 percent tariffs imposed by the United States in 2025. In response, the South African government has stepped up efforts to diversify export destinations, actively seeking new markets while expanding access to existing ones.
China has remained South Africa's biggest trading partner for over 15 years, and economic and trade cooperation between the two countries has continued to expand in recent years. ■