National Assembly Speaker, Mapisa-Nqakula calls for more equitable benefits between China and South Africa’s people in bilateral cooperation

22 October 2021

The parliaments of South Africa and China expressed their appreciation of the growing strategic collaboration and partnership between South Africa and China and undertook to strengthen their oversight role to ensure that democracy works to improve people’s lives in both countries.   

Addressing the 5th Regular Exchange Mechanism’s virtual session hosted by the National People’s Congress of China (NPC), the Speaker of the National Assembly (NA), Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and the Chairman of the NPC, Mr Li Zhanshu, praised, among others, the level of cooperation with which the two countries fought the Covid-19 pandemic that disrupted many facets of life in both countries.

Ms Mapisa-Nqakula said although trade improved significantly, more needs to be done to improve the balance of trade through, among others, heightening South Africa’s capacity for value addition and manufacturing. She said: “Both our countries have already recognised the current balance of trade between our two countries as untenable for the sustenance of mutually beneficial cooperation and agreed to address this.”

She called for more joint research and development, taking into account opportunities provided by the 4th industrial revolution, as well as greater efforts to address, not just the Covid-19 pandemic, but other pandemics that were worsened by covid-19 such as poverty, inequality and gender-based-violence and femicide in South Africa.

She highlighted several areas where South Africa could learn so much from China’s experiences including readiness to manage disasters beyond Covid-19, strengthening of public awareness, participation and outreach including lessons in parliamentary broadcasting as part of the broader communication strategy.

She also called for the review and improvement of the 15-year-old Memorandum of Understanding entered into in 2006 by the two parliaments, enhancing the post-pandemic recovery strategies in a manner that eliminates the graphic inequalities that were exposed by the covid-19 pandemic, and to strengthen performance-based oversight to accelerate the execution of the Bi-National Commission’s Programme of Action.

Ms Mapisa-Nqakula said that although the economies of China and South Africa are completely incomparable in size, the cooperation between the two countries recognizes the current and untapped potential of each economy that can be developed for mutual and equal benefit. 

Mr Li Zhanshu thanked South Africa for supporting China during challenging times of the Covid-19 outbreak. The two countries shared medical supplies and non-pharmaceutical products like masks, strategic collaboration in global development initiatives and multi-lateral platforms to ensure that changes made bring tangible results and a better quality of life to the people of both countries.

He highlighted various successes registered by China from which South Africa could learn lessons including the elimination of absolute poverty within three decades. He said the strategic partnership between the two countries resulted in China being the leading trading partner of South Africa for over a decade, while the two countries’ mutual trade relations and outcomes are leading in the African continent.   

The NA delegation included the Deputy Speaker, Mr Lechesa Tsenoli and the NA House Chairperson on International Relations, Mr Madala Ntombela. The delegation also included chairpersons of the portfolio committees: Mr Supra Mahumapelo who is the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation and Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.

It also included the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Finance, Mr Mkhacani Maswanganyi; the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry, Mr Duma Nkosi; the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education; Ms Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba; the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Technology; Ms Nompendulo Mkhathwa; the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Health; Dr Kenneth Jacobs and the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Sports, Arts and Culture, Ms Beauty Dlulane.

Issued by Moloto Mothapo, Media Officer, Parliamentary Communication Services, 24 October 2021