Pretoria, October 22, 2026: roughly 400 participants gathered for a briefing on how China’s zero-tariff treatment for African countries is actually working on the ground. The Chinese Embassy in South Africa, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, and the South African Revenue Service jointly convened the session, drawing representatives of the South African government, businesses, and trade associations, alongside Chinese enterprises operating in South Africa and members of the Chinese business community. More than 400 additional viewers followed online.
The three institutions responsible for making the policy work were all in the room. Ambassador Wu Peng of China, South African Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau, and Interim Deputy Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service Schalk Human each delivered remarks, framing the session around delivery and execution rather than announcement alone.
Ambassador Wu Peng told the audience that economic and trade cooperation between China and South Africa has continued to build positive momentum. He pointed to measurable outcomes since the zero-tariff policy took effect on May 1: South Africa’s exports to China have grown significantly, the structure of trade between the two countries has improved, and a large number of Chinese companies have expanded their investment in South Africa. Looking ahead, he stressed that China will work with South Africa to advance negotiations on the Early Harvest Arrangement under the Framework Agreement on Economic Partnership for Shared Development. That arrangement, he said, is intended to provide a long-term, stable, and predictable institutional guarantee for trade between the two countries, a formulation that speaks directly to the reliability concerns of exporters and investors who depend on rules that hold over time.
Minister Parks Tau responded with a strong endorsement of the zero-tariff policy and set out South Africa’s own implementation agenda. South Africa, he said, will work to reach an agreement with China on the Early Harvest Arrangement and will make full use of the policy to boost export growth and local manufacturing. His remarks underscored the domestic work required to convert preferential market access into sustained industrial output at home.
Meanwhile, on the operational side, Interim Deputy Commissioner Schalk Human addressed the administrative machinery that underpins any tariff regime. The South African Revenue Service, he stated, will work with the Chinese government to create a better export environment for South African companies, positioning the revenue authority as an active partner in smoothing the customs and compliance pathway that exporters must navigate.
The session closed with a practical exchange. Representatives from the Chinese Embassy, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, and the South African Revenue Service delivered briefings and answered questions from those present, giving attendees direct access to the officials responsible for administering the policy across its diplomatic, trade, and customs dimensions.
Taken together, the briefing offered a snapshot of a policy moving from announcement to execution. The figures cited by Ambassador Wu, including export growth and expanded Chinese investment since May 1, suggest the zero-tariff arrangement is already altering trade flows between the two countries. The commitments voiced by Minister Tau and Deputy Commissioner Human, on negotiating the Early Harvest Arrangement and improving the export environment respectively, mark the next stages of implementation that both governments have now put on the record before an audience of the businesses and associations who will judge whether those promises translate into working trade channels. Whether the Early Harvest Arrangement lands on a timeline exporters can plan around remains the open question for the months ahead.