South African VP Paul Mashatile Attends 4th China International Supply Chain Expo 2026
From 20 to 26 June 2026, South African Vice President Paul Mashatile undertook an official visit to China. He attended the opening ceremony of the 4th CCPIT China International Supply Chain Expo (#CISCE) where he delivered a keynote address. He also visited the South Africa Commodity Center (SACC) in Dongguan and several #hitech firms in Shenzhen, also known as the Silicon Valley of China.
In his speech, he framed South Africa’s value proposition along the 3D Strategy: Diversification, Decarbonization and Digitalization. He advocated more local beneficiation to correct structural trade imbalances. He welcomed Chinese companies to establish Joint Ventures with South African firms to develop downstreaming.
Following the zero-tariff policy enacted by China, he called for long-term sourcing agreements to boost South Africa high-quality agricultural exports to China. On the other side, the development of digital trade platforms will enable bouth South Africans and Chinese to access each other’s quality products directly and conveniently.
South Africa is rich in platinum-group of metals and other critical minerals needed for decarbonization. As such, he pointed out to the immense potential for partnership in the manufacturing of new energy vehicles (NEV) for the huge single market enabled by the AfCFTA.
VP Paul Mashatile was accompanied by the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Zuko Godlimpi. In Beijing, he met with his counterpart, Chinese VP Han Zheng and participated in the Cape Town Bi-National Commission established in March 2026. It is interesting to note that Cape Town is twinned with four Chinese cities, viz., Hangzhou, Huangshan, Shenzhen and Wuhan.
In Shenzhen, he met with the city’s Party Secretary-General Jin Lei and both sides reaffirmed their commitment to further the ‘All-Round Strategic Cooperative Partnership in the New Era’, focusing on collaboration around Special Economic Zones (#SEZ) and Digitalization.