Deputy President Paul Mashatile meets Chinese Vice President Han Zheng during bilateral talks in Beijing, China. Photo Credit: GCIS (Jairus Mmutle)

NNA News - South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile this week pitched South Africa as a “reliable supply base” for Chinese manufacturers during an official visit to Beijing, arguing that the country could give firms access to 1.3 billion consumers across Africa ahead of bilateral talks with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng. The push follows the signing earlier this year of the Framework Agreement on Economic Partnership for Shared Prosperity, or CADEPA.

Addressing delegates at Beijing’s Shunyi Exhibition Centre on Monday during the Fourth China International Supply Chain Expo, Mashatile said South Africa offers Chinese firms two advantages for expanding into Africa: zero-tariff access for qualifying exports and entry into the African Continental Free Trade Area. “South Africa's participation reflects our commitment to deepening the economic partnership with China through trade, investment, and long-term industrial cooperation,” Mashatile told participants. He also urged Chinese and other international companies to “strengthen partnerships with South Africa” and to use it as “a key player in global supply chains and a gateway to the African market”.

On Tuesday, Mashatile met Vice President Han Zheng in Beijing for bilateral talks. The meeting followed their joint chairing of the 9th China-South Africa Bi-National Commission in Cape Town in March, which Han described as “a complete success”. In their discussions, Han called for closer cooperation and stronger coordination on global issues.

He said the two sides should “act on the understandings between our heads of state, deepen political trust, and push practical cooperation forward”. As BRICS and G20 members, he added, “China and South Africa should strengthen international coordination and play a positive role in improving global economic governance”.

Delegates attend a gala dinner hosted ahead of the Fourth China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) in Beijing, China. Photo Credit: GCIS (Jairus Mmutle)

Mashatile reiterated South Africa’s support for the one-China policy. He told Han that Pretoria “remains committed to deepening political trust and mutually beneficial cooperation with China”. “We stand ready to work with China to safeguard our respective core interests,” he said.

 Beyond diplomacy, the visit focused on sectors Pretoria sees as future growth engines. On Monday, Mashatile met representatives of the International Hydrogen Fuel Cell Association in Beijing. Their discussion centered on technology transfer, skills development, and local manufacturing tied to South Africa’s green hydrogen plans. The trip also feeds into wider efforts to strengthen China-Africa cooperation through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, or FOCAC.

Speaking in Beijing on Tuesday, African Union envoy to China Alhaji Sarjoh Bah said relations work best “when partnerships are built on sovereign equality, mutual respect, noninterference, and shared development goals”. Bah noted that since 2000, FOCAC has expanded cooperation across infrastructure, energy, healthcare, technology, and education – areas he described as “central to Agenda 2063 and Africa's aim to become an integrated, prosperous continent driven by its own citizens”.

He added that Africa and China should “deepen coordination in multilateral institutions” and jointly advocate “for an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization”. He also stressed that both sides should uphold the United Nations Charter and support the peaceful settlement of disputes through dialogue and consultation.

Deputy President Paul Mashatile attends a gala dinner hosted ahead of the Fourth China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) in Beijing, China. Photo Credit: GCIS (Jairus Mmutle)

Kenyan analyst Raphael Obonyo told local media that the meeting reflects a shift in China-Africa relations toward industrialization, technology transfer, and long-term development. “China has moved from a low base to the world's second-largest economy through structural transformation and poverty reduction,” Obonyo said. “That experience is now shaping cooperation with Africa, moving beyond aid and infrastructure to a longer-term development partnership.”

While infrastructure remains central to China’s engagement, he said the relationship has grown to include healthcare, peace and security, and people-to-people exchanges. With China-Africa’s largest trading partner for more than a decade, Obonyo said African countries “should make greater use of China's zero-tariff policy to boost manufacturing and accelerate industrialization”. Mashatile is due to wrap up his June 20-26 state visit in Shenzhen, where he will meet technology and manufacturing firms as South Africa seeks investment, jobs, and deeper industrial ties with China.