South Africa and China: The Making of a Partnership

The relationship between South Africa and China has evolved from formal diplomatic recognition in 1998 to a 'comprehensive strategic partnership' by 2010. While bilateral trade has grown rapidly, with China becoming a primary trading partner, the structure remains imbalanced, characterized by South African raw material exports and Chinese manufactured imports. Investment patterns are unique compared to other African nations, with South African firms historically investing more in China than vice versa, although Chinese FDI is increasing in mining and infrastructure. Diplomatic cooperation is strong in multilateral forums like BRICS and the UN Security Council, though tensions exist regarding commercial competition and public perceptions of Chinese business practices.

• South Africa and China upgraded their relationship to a 'comprehensive strategic partnership' during President Jacob Zuma's August 2010 visit, which included 38 bilateral co-operation agreements covering areas from mineral exploration to agriculture.
• Bilateral trade has grown rapidly, with China becoming South Africa's primary import and export partner by 2008, though the trade balance remains negative.
• The structure of trade is characterized by an imbalance where South Africa primarily exports raw materials—with mineral products accounting for 76% of exports as of mid-2013—while importing value-added manufactured goods from China.
• Unlike most other African countries, South African investment in China exceeded Chinese investment in South Africa until approximately 2007.
• Chinese foreign direct investment in South Africa has been cautious and primarily focused on the mining sector through joint ventures and 'brownfield' developments to navigate complex regulatory environments and black economic empowerment (BEE) requirements.
• South Africa and China have demonstrated significant alignment in multilateral forums, specifically coordinating to block Western-led sanctions against Zimbabwe in the UN Security Council.
• The partnership extends to military and security cooperation, including the training of South African soldiers by China and the sale of South African armaments technology to the People's Liberation Army.
• There is a significant disconnect between high-level government diplomacy and public perception, with some South African trade unions and civil society criticizing Chinese economic policies as 'colonial' and exploitative.
• China has invested heavily in public diplomacy in South Africa, including the establishment of numerous Confucius Institutes and the 2010 Shanghai Expo, while South Africa's outreach capacity has been limited by financial constraints.

APA

Alden, C., & Wu, Y.-S. (2014). South Africa and China: The Making of a Partnership. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Occasional-Paper-199.pdf

Chicago

Alden, Chris, and Yu-Shan Wu. South Africa and China: The Making of a Partnership. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2014. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Occasional-Paper-199.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Alden |first1=Chris |last2=Wu |first2=Yu-Shan |title=South Africa and China: The Making of a Partnership |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=August 2014 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Occasional-Paper-199.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{alden2014south, author = {Alden, Chris and Wu, Yu-Shan}, title = {{South Africa and China: The Making of a Partnership}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2014}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Occasional-Paper-199.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }