South African government encourages enterprises to attend China International Import Expo: official

JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- South African companies would take part in the China International Import Expo (CIIE) 2022 where they expect positive benefits, and the government would help them do so, said a South African government official Tuesday.

The remarks were made by Lerato Mataboge, the deputy director general of export promotion, development and outward investment with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Competition, while responding to a question from Xinhua during a webinar on the impact of outbound trade shows on small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in South Africa.

"China International Import Expo (CIIE) is an important platform and we will definitely take part in it. It is useful for our economy. Trade is an important engine of economic growth and development. There are many regions and countries of the world that have been able to lift their peoples from poverty to prosperity through trade," said Mataboge, who failed to give the number of companies that will take part in the CIIE this year. "Exports provide a significant opportunity for South Africa to expand industrial output and provide bigger markets for local firms. The ministry aims to support firms to reach strategic export markets and to align export-marketing with South Africa's industrial capacity."

Mataboge believed local companies have improved their competitiveness but more still needs to be done, saying steps have been made to build a capable state by improving the efficiency and improving the national brand. Mataboge also pledged that they would like to take opportunities presented by the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.

The fifth CIIE will take place in Shanghai from Nov. 5 to 10.

South Africa has participated in the Shanghai CIIE for four consecutive years. Despite the impact of COVID-19, South African enterprises actively participated in the expo, vigorously promoting beef, wine, tea, abalone and other high-quality agricultural products, with the intended turnover reaching 210 million U.S. dollars in 2020, and the intended turnover of red wine, abalone, fruit, tea, aloe gum and other products at about 38 million dollars in 2021, laying a good foundation for the South African high-quality products to expand their market share in China, according to Zhao Zhongyi, minister counselor of the Economic and Commercial Office of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in South Africa.