On February 6, Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao and South African Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau co-chaired the ninth session of the China-South Africa Joint Economic and Trade Committee in Beijing, reaching consensus on deepening bilateral economic cooperation. The two sides signed the Framework Agreement on Economic Partnership for Common Development, making South Africa the 33rd African country to sign such an agreement with China, granting it zero-tariff treatment for 100% of its tariff lines exported to China. China expressed willingness to expand investment cooperation in automobiles, mining, agriculture and new energy, while South Africa committed to providing a favorable policy environment for Chinese enterprises. The two sides also issued a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to safeguarding the multilateral trading system.
