South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile has underscored the growing alignment between his country’s development priorities and China’s strategic planning, as he concluded a visit to China that included extensive tours of leading Chinese enterprises
Mashatile’s trip, which took him from Beijing to Shenzhen, focused on exploring opportunities for deeper bilateral cooperation in sectors critical to South Africa’s economic future
The Vice President’s itinerary included a visit to the Global Service Center in Shenzhen’s Nanshan District, where discussions centered on cross-border investment and other cooperative matters
“Well, it’s about what South Africa is focusing on at the moment. We’ve decided that there should be diversification, particularly given the new developments in the global stage. We’ve decided that lets focus on other markets, but particularly in this era, we’re focusing on de-carbonization as well and digitization. So my choice of companies was informed by that strategy, including companies that are involved in waste management as well. I did have an opportunity to visit them. The good thing in China is that many of the companies I visited already have a footprint in South Africa. Whether in the automotive sector, whether it’s in infrastructure, whether it’s in energy, they are already there,” he said.
The timing of Mashatile’s visit carries particular significance. The year 2026 marks the beginning of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan, a timeline that closely overlaps with South Africa’s National Development Plan 2030. This convergence has raised expectations about the potential for enhanced strategic coordination between the two nations
Mashatile emphasized that the two countries’ development strategies are highly compatible, and that South Africa is closely following China’s progress while advancing its own national agenda
“We are focusing strongly on growth. We want to grow the economy, we are focusing, as I said earlier, on diversification, de-carbonization, digitization. It’s part of that strategy that we are implementing, and we are collaborating strongly with China on that to achieve those objectives,” said Mashatile
S African deputy president highlights synergy with China’s development goals
