Chinese Ambassador Wu Peng delighted over South Africa's avocado shipment to China

Ambassador of China to South Africa, Wu Peng has expressed delight after this season's inaugural shipment of South African avocados successfully reached Shanghai, in the People's Republic of China, bolstering the unparalleled bilateral relations.

For more than a decade, China has been South Africa's largest trading partner. This position has been held by China since 2008, when it surpassed the United States. China is also South Africa's largest trading partner in Africa, with bilateral trade between the two countries accounting for a significant portion of China's total trade with the continent.

Diplomatic relations between Pretoria and Beijing were established on January 1, 1998.

Throughout the past 27 years, the two countries have deepened their wide-ranging bilateral relations, which have since been elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and underpinned by a new 10-Year Strategic Programmes of Cooperation (2020-2029).

Commenting on social media platform X, the Chinese ambassador said the arrival of the South African avocados for this season marks a milestone in the Pretoria-Beijing agricultural cooperation.

"Delighted to witness the season's first shipment of South African avocados reaching China! A milestone in our agricultural cooperation," Wu commented on X.

Last year, IOL reported that President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, had unleashed one of the Asian giant’s diplomatic heavyweights to South Africa as ambassador plenipotentiary, with a mission to escalate the unparalleled trade, economic and political ties, improve people-to-people relations and contribute to Pretoria’s extensive job creation drive.

IOL was granted the first opportunity to sit down with the affable ambassador, former director-general of China’s Department of African Affairs in the Foreign Ministry, just days after he took the reins at the Embassy of China in South Africa.

The former ambassador of China to Kenya said South African wine, rooibos tea, aloe gel, and other quality products are now very popular on the Chinese market.

“Actually, before I came here, I saw rooibos tea in a five-star hotel in China. It costs you 60 yuan to get a cup, which is roughly R150. Of course, I bought myself a cup. It tastes really nice but R150 is a little expensive. That is why I think China should import more rooibos tea and bring the price down, so that more (people) can enjoy rooibos tea in China,” Wu told IOL during the interview last year. 

“The Chinese government is committed to advancing high-level opening-up. We are ready to share our mega-sized market with all countries, including South Africa. It is estimated that by 2035, China will have 800 million people in the middle-income group."

On Thursday, IOL reported that Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, has expressed satisfaction with the South African avocado industry's proactive steps towards international market expansion.

Steenhuisen's enthusiasm comes on the heels of the season's inaugural shipment of the avocados to China, marking a significant milestone for the sector.

Among Steenhuisen's core priorities is the enhancement of market access for South African agricultural products.

Understanding that market access is paramount for the profitability and sustainability of the agricultural sector, Steenhuisen on Tuesday insisted that the Department of Agriculture must play a pivotal role in expanding and establishing new markets.

Steenhuisen said this “early bird shipment” to China was a testament to the hard work, innovation, and strategic foresight within South Africa's avocado industry.

“South Africa is positioned as a major player in the global avocado market thanks to the investment made by businesses like ZZ2 in cutting-edge packhouses and nurseries, Core Fruit’s well-established expertise in exports, and Mission Produce’s global reach,” he said.

jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za

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