Pretoria (VNA) – South African media spotlighted economic and trade ties as a centerpiece of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to the country for the G20 Summit and bilateral engagements from November 21-24, pointing out efforts to rebalance trade ties with Vietnam and its role within the grouping through proposals on inclusive growth, green transition and strategic minerals.
State broadcaster SABC and private network eNCA covered PM Chinh’s address at the summit, where he laid out three strategic priorities for equitable growth. Meanwhile, enca.com, Central News South Africa and government portal sanews.gov.za carried extensive coverage of his sideline activities, including meetings with President Cyril Ramaphosa and other leaders. The coverage revealed the elevation of bilateral ties to a strategic partnership, and commitments to inclusive cooperation ranging from agriculture to technology transfer, along with trade barrier reduction, agricultural market access, and investment promotion
The PM expressed hope that South Africa would support Vietnam’s bid for G20 participation, underscoring shared interests in sectors such as coffee production and processing.
Central News South Africa and enca.com described the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on agriculture as part of a broader shift in South Africa - Vietnam relations, opening new trade opportunities and advancing the newly upgraded strategic partnership. The MoU not only builds on recent commercial gains but also serves as a milestone in raising bilateral relations. Its signing at the G20 underlines South Africa’s utilisation of global platforms to push African interests and Vietnam’s strong backing for the continent’s voice at international forums.
Polity.org.za and sanews.gov.za highlighted the commitments announced at the South Africa–Vietnam Business Forum on the summit’s sidelines. Deputy President Paul Mashatile pledged the South African Government’s commitment to easier trade and investment conditions as the two countries work to deepen economic ties. He said both nations are at a “critical moment” as they seek to expand cooperation in key areas, including trade, industry, agriculture, sci-tech, renewable energy and digital transformation.
Overall, South African media portrayed the Vietnamese leader’s visit and the new agreements as a direct follow-on to President Ramaphosa’s recent state visit to Vietnam, marking a new phase in bilateral ties with wider cooperation in agriculture, renewable energy, digital transformation and sci-tech.
Mashatile noted that South Africa remains Vietnam’s largest trade partner in Africa. Vietnam, in turn, provides a gateway for South Africa to enter the nearly 700-million-strong ASEAN market, while South Africa offers Vietnam access to the 1.4 billion-consumer African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)./.
