Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao meets with Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition of South Africa, Ebrahim Patel.

On July 17, Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao met with South African Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Ebrahim Patel in Beijing. The two sides exchanged in-depth views on strengthening cooperation in bilateral and multilateral trade and investment to jointly address the current challenges in the international trade situation. Wang Wentao stated that under the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, China and South Africa have closely collaborated, and bilateral economic and trade relations have made significant progress. China is willing to continue exploring the potential of bilateral trade with South Africa, encouraging Chinese companies to invest in South Africa, deepening cooperation in the production and supply chain between the two countries, and expanding cooperation in new energy, digital economy, and other fields. Currently, the global economic order is facing serious challenges from unilateralism and protectionism. It is hoped that China and South Africa will continue to strengthen communication and coordination under multilateral frameworks such as the World Trade Organization, G20, and BRICS, to jointly uphold the multilateral trading system based on WTO rules.