Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau, on Sunday provided insights into complex international trade negotiations, emphasising multilateral cooperation and Africa’s emerging strategic role.
In an interview with media during the Group of 20 (G20) Leaders’ Summit, Tau highlighted the main theme of the summit – ‘Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability’ – which focused on overcoming diplomatic challenges, particularly trade policies and the notable absence of the United States.
The leaders adopted the G20 Johannesburg Leaders’ Declaration on the climate crisis and other global challenges at the very start of their summit on Saturday, breaking with long-standing tradition.
After weeks of challenging discussions and without the involvement of the United States, South Africa managed to achieve consensus on its own terms.
The G20 Declaration commits major economies to tackling global inequality, reforming international financial systems to ease debt pressures on developing countries and boosting inclusive growth, with a strong focus on Africa and the broader Global South.
It also emphasises climate action, renewable energy transitions, and strengthened multilateral cooperation to advance peace, sustainability and development worldwide.
Tau underscored the Summit’s significance, saying: “It doesn’t mean that when you get to a declaration, it was all easy. There are tough, intense negotiations between the governments that are here.”
Tau also highlighted Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s announcement regarding China’s commitment to collaborate with South Africa on multilateral trade and a zero-tariff initiative.
During a meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday, before the G20 Leaders’ Summit, Li expressed Beijing’s readiness to partner with Pretoria in protecting the multilateral trading system and advancing the prompt implementation of a zero-tariff policy for South African products.
“We welcome China’s introduction of a zero-tariff regime. In practice, this is applied immediately for developed countries. For developing countries, China has indicated that implementation will align with the World Trade Organisation’s Most Favoured Nation principle. We are actively engaging with them on this basis.”
In the meantime, the Minister said South Africa will need to go through its Customs Union and engage with stakeholders, including labour, civil society and business.
“So, it’s going through the processes, and we anticipate that we’ll be able to reach an agreement with China.”
The United States’ non-attendance emerged as a significant discussion point.
Tau noted that the G20 outcomes have been significant, as they addressed global trade issues, the World Trade Organisation, a rules-based system, financing for development, and debt.
“All those issues are important for the entire world, and it is quite unfortunate that their voice was not coming across in these meetings.”
Tau emphasised that trade discussions are ongoing, noting that they have “compartmentalised these issues” and continue to engage with the United States government.
The Minister outlined a robust implementation strategy, saying that progress will be tracked through a number of agreements, the impact on the multilateral system, and positions presented in multilateral platforms.
However, he believes that the most compelling takeaway was Africa’s increasingly prominent role in global trade discussions.
Tau said the focus is now on implementation and ensuring that the outcomes of the G20 find expression in bilateral agreements and multilateral platforms.
“The President has established two advisory panels to ensure that we can effectively track progress. Our discussions focus on using these mechanisms to follow up on the priorities we have placed on the agenda. The Africa Agenda is now firmly on the table, and we are looking at concrete mechanisms for implementation, while also monitoring progress driven by other countries.
“Ultimately, the obligation rests with us as a country to follow through – and we are doing so with clarity and determination,” the Minister said
Soweto Sunrise News
