Western Cape visits China to bolster trade and investment
South African presence in Hong Kong
During a meeting Premier Zille formally invited the Hong Kong Trade Development Council for a trade mission to the Western Cape. The council accepted the Premier's invitation, adding that 50 South African companies participated in a range of trade shows hosted in Hong Kong each year. In addition, these exhibitions attracted over 2,000 South African buyers annually.
Last week, 22 South Africa wine companies exhibited at a Hong Kong trade show. Wine exports to Hong Kong are doubling year-on-year. The Western Cape's growth strategy, Project Khulisa, has the further goal of doubling the volume of wine exports to China by 2025. The council explained there was potential to increase the volume of wine and food exports to China, commending the high-quality of South African produce.
Western Cape as gateway to Africa
Premier Zille said it was encouraging that South African companies had already started establishing a presence in Hong Kong. "As the world views Hong Kong as the gateway to Asia, the Western Cape is positioning itself as the gateway to Africa. There is enormous scope to grow the number of Hong Kong tourists travelling to the Western Cape, with it's diverse offering, where tourists can experience the world in one country."
Minister Winde said between 2003 and 2013, the Western Cape received Foreign Direct Investment worth more than R500 million from Chinese companies. "Several Chinese companies have shown their confidence in the Western Cape as a business destination. More Chinese businesses are keen to explore the Western Cape's business offering and we will be continuing these discussions.
We are looking for innovative ways to grow the size of our agri-processing sector as we focus on beneficiation. The Chinese and Hong Kong markets present definite opportunities for mutually beneficial partnerships in this space."
The delegation travelled to Shanghai for the next leg of the official visit.