New Delhi, February 11 (IANS). South Africa’s High Commissioner to India Professor Anil Sooklal on Wednesday said the proposed India-SACU (Southern African Customs Union) free-trade agreement will significantly boost trade and investment between the two regions.
In an exclusive interview with news agency IANS, the High Commissioner said that this would be the first free trade agreement between India and any regional bloc in Africa. SACU consists of five member states—Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa—and South Africa participates in trade negotiations as part of that customs union. He said both sides have agreed to expedite the discussions.
He further said that trade and investment flows between India and South Africa have been very significant. South Africa is India’s largest trading partner in the African continent and India is our fourth largest trading partner globally. Our two-way trade is about $20 billion, which is about 20 percent of India’s total trade with Africa.
Sooklal also informed that South Africa’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Competitiveness, Parks Tau, recently participated in the CII India-Africa Conclave, where South Africa was the guest country. On that occasion, Minister Tau held a bilateral meeting with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal to discuss key initiatives to deepen trade and investment relations between the two countries.
The High Commissioner also said that India has been a leading voice of the Global South. During India’s G20 presidency in 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi played a decisive role in ensuring that the African Union becomes a full member of the G20. It was widely appreciated throughout Africa.
India also initiated the Voices of the Global South Summit, which focused on the concerns of developing countries. He said India remains not only a leading voice but also a leading initiator in shaping a more inclusive global system.
Sooklal further said that India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) cooperation has made significant contributions in addressing global governance issues. Recently, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in South Africa, an IBSA summit was held where Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Prime Minister Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met to discuss key areas of cooperation.
Interestingly, one of the new areas of cooperation is cooperation in the field of Artificial Intelligence.
IBSA has played a key role in advocating for the reform of global institutions, including the WTO, the Bretton Woods institutions, and the United Nations system, addressing the developmental challenges facing the Global South.
Talking about the US boycott of the G20 meeting in South Africa, the High Commissioner said, although it was unfortunate that the United States was absent, the summit in Johannesburg was very successful. “All other member states participated, and we adopted a comprehensive declaration addressing major global challenges.”
“It showed that the G20 is a collective forum. No country can paralyze it. No one can achieve constructive results by staying away. On the contrary, cooperation is the only effective way to deal with global challenges,” he said.
On New Delhi’s stance against US tariff pressures, he said India has taken a principled stand regarding weaponization of tariffs and the imposition of unfair unilateral measures.
India, now the world’s fourth largest economy, has demonstrated that no external pressure can force a country to compromise its sovereignty. He said India’s approach has given strength and confidence to many developing countries facing similar pressures.
Suklal also said that the upcoming AI summit in India is an extremely important event. India, along with France, played an important role in starting the global AI discussion. AI is rapidly developing and presents immense opportunities, especially for developing countries. At the same time, it brings challenges that require global cooperation.
Hosting the AI Summit in India shows that the Global South can lead in emerging technologies. He said the summit will likely yield important results and strengthen international cooperation in AI governance.
–IANS
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