Right of reply: SA needs more factories, not more walls
Chinese electric vehicles and investment can boost South African manufacturing, create jobs and accelerate the affordable green transition, while tariffs risk harming consumers and businesses. South Africa should protect its economic sovereignty and maintain strong trade ties with both China and the European Union.
South Africa should prioritize expanding its manufacturing sector with Chinese electric vehicles, rather than erecting barriers through tariffs, to foster job creation and accelerate the affordable green transition. Chinese electric vehicles and investments can bolster the nation's economic sovereignty while maintaining robust trade relations with both China and the European Union.
Chinese Ambassador Wang Chuan emphasized that his role is to strengthen the connection between China and South Africa, not dictate which partners South Africa should engage with. Despite European Union Ambassador Kristian Schmidt's call for higher tariffs against China in a Daily Maverick interview, South African officials argue that the country's wisdom should guide its trade decisions.
The Chinese new energy vehicle industry owes its growth to decades of research, fierce domestic competition, and an extensive manufacturing supply chain, not government handouts. The International Energy Agency predicts a surge in electric car sales globally, with Africa currently lagging due to a lack of affordable clean cars. Chinese cars, exported at rates exceeding Denmark's exports, are hailed as a symbol of competitiveness, not overcapacity.
The EU's trade surplus with China, valued at €30 billion, starkly contrasts with the notion of dumping. Chinese firms have already invested in South Africa, creating over 400,000 jobs and manufacturing vehicles at plants in Gqeberha and Rosslyn. Germany, Denmark, and other European nations enjoy high levels of competitiveness through exporting goods like wind turbines and pork.
A tariff on affordable Chinese EVs would disproportionately impact South Africa and other developing economies, making it a tax on the Global South's green transition. China's zero-tariff policy for African countries, including South Africa, allows for the duty-free import of goods such as South African apples. China's approach promotes open markets, industrial cooperation, and the establishment of factories and skills development to turn green ambitions into green jobs.
South Africa's sovereignty should be respected, allowing it to work with both China and the EU to seize opportunities for more choice, better products, and job creation.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Maverick's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
