On Feb. 28, Gao Hucheng, Vice Minister of Commerce, met with Ms. Nomonde Maimela, Chief Commissioner of International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa. Mr. Gao Hucheng represented China's viewpoints on such issues as textile trade and China-South Africa trade relief cooperation mechanism.

Regarding to textile trade, Mr. Gao Hucheng said that Chinese government and business community paid more attention to the request by South African business for government restriction measures on Chinese textile products. In order to guarantee the healthy development of international textile trade after the integration, China took the initiative in taking a series of measures to regulate textile exports, meanwhile, actively pushed bilateral cooperation with other developing countries in textile field. China hoped South Africa could completely understand the standpoint and measures taken by China on the issue of textile integration, and could prudently dispose the requirement of lawsuit raised by local business community with a view on the long-term development of bilateral trade and economic relations. Gao Hucheng said, in recent years, China-South Africa trade nearly kept balanced, the general development was in a good status and believed that the bilateral trade and economic cooperation would had a broader development space in the coming years.

When referring to China-South Africa Trade Relief Cooperation Mechanism, Gao Hucheng said, China and South Africa were big developing countries and WTO members, there must be mutual benefit in many areas. China would like to initiate cooperation with South Africa on issue of trade relief measures under WTO framework. Therefore, China proposed to build up a trade relief cooperation mechanism to discuss and negotiate issues and cases jointly concerned by two countries.

Maimela appreciated the measures and efforts made by China, she said that there must be a satisfied resolution on concerned issues through mutual efforts. She hoped to further close the connection among relative departments in China and South Africa through establishing trade relief cooperation mechanism to provide more smooth communication channel.

According to statistics, bilateral trade between China and South Africa in 2004 amounted to US$5.9 billion, up by 52.8% on a year-on-year basis. Main exports of China to South Africa were machinery and electronic products, textile, garment and hi-tech products, and major imports from South Africa were iron ore, diamond and steel etc.

(Source: Network Center of MOFCOM)