Chinese Premier Li Qiang and South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile lit up the G20 stage this weekend with bold plans to supercharge cooperation between their nations. At the November 22-23 summit, both leaders vowed to transform their 'all-weather friendship' into concrete economic wins for 1.4 billion people across their countries.
💡 Power Moves in Trade & Tech
China plans to turbocharge South African exports by finalizing a 100% zero-tariff deal for qualifying African products – a potential game-changer for industries from agriculture to advanced manufacturing. Meanwhile, Chinese companies are eyeing major investments in South Africa's green energy and digital economy sectors, with electric vehicles and smart infrastructure projects leading the charge.
🤝 Brotherhood Beyond Borders
'We're not just partners – we're family,' Premier Li emphasized, recalling President Xi Jinping's 2024 Beijing meeting with South African leader Cyril Ramaphosa. The two nations now plan to:
📈 Co-create industrial parks
🩺 Launch health tech partnerships
🌱 Pioneer climate-resilient agriculture
🌐 Global South Power Play
Both leaders called for reshaping international systems to better represent developing nations. Mashatile praised China's global development initiatives while reaffirming South Africa's one-China policy. The partnership could become a blueprint for South-South cooperation, with plans to coordinate through FOCAC and other multilateral platforms.
