South Africa’s Foreign Economic Strategies in a Changing Global System

The document analyzes the evolution of South Africa's foreign economic policy since 1994, noting a shift from a normative, idealistic approach toward a strategy focused on non-Western relations and economic diplomacy. It identifies three main pillars of engagement: the WTO, the G-20, and BRICS. While South Africa uses these platforms to advocate for developing countries and African interests, the authors argue that the country lacks a clearly defined economic diplomacy strategy grounded in its domestic development framework. The brief highlights the BRICS New Development Bank as a key tool for African infrastructure and suggests that South Africa must improve institutional coordination and business collaboration to maximize the benefits of its international engagements.

• South Africa's foreign policy has shifted from an early post-1994 focus on normative goals, such as human rights and peacebuilding, toward building diplomatic and commercial ties with non-Western nations.
• In the World Trade Organization (WTO), South Africa acts as a bridge-builder, advocating for the interests of developing countries and Africa, specifically pushing for market access and the principle of 'less than full reciprocity' in liberalization obligations.
• Since 2007, South Africa has attempted to align its trade policies with its national industrial policy framework to protect its policy space in WTO negotiations and support domestic industrial capacities.
• Within the G-20, South Africa focuses on global financial stability, the reform of international financial institutions, and an African agenda, though it lacks a distinct set of measurable objectives linked to its domestic development framework.
• South Africa views the BRICS forum as a means of strengthening South-South solidarity and expanding trade and investment, particularly through the BRICS New Development Bank to fund African infrastructure.
• The authors conclude that there is a persistent gap between South Africa's foreign policy and its domestic economic strategies, necessitating better institutional coordination across ministries and closer collaboration with the business sector.

APA

Qobo, M., & Dube, M. (2015). South Africa’s Foreign Economic Strategies in a Changing Global System. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Policy-Insights-7.pdf

Chicago

Qobo, Mzukisi, and Memory Dube. South Africa’s Foreign Economic Strategies in a Changing Global System. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2015. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Policy-Insights-7.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Qobo |first1=Mzukisi |last2=Dube |first2=Memory |title=South Africa’s Foreign Economic Strategies in a Changing Global System |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=7 March 2015 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Policy-Insights-7.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{qobo2015south, author = {Qobo, Mzukisi and Dube, Memory}, title = {{South Africa’s Foreign Economic Strategies in a Changing Global System}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2015}, month = mar, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Policy-Insights-7.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }