Tau says SA's relationship with China not a quick fix to looming US tariffs
Tau made the comments at a joint media briefing with Minister of International Relations Ronald Lamola in the east of Johannesburg on Monday.
ALSO READ: Lamola assures SA exporters govt won't ignore their concerns over US tariffs
This comes as South Africa makes another attempt to re-negotiate economic and bilateral ties ahead of the implementation of sweeping tariffs by US President Donald Trump this week.
South Africa's 30% tariffs are expected to cripple agriculture and manufacturing, shed an estimated 30,000 jobs and shave off 0.2% off economic growth.
While government said it was strengthening trade and investment with other African countries, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas, Tau said that focusing on ties with China was not a quick fix.
"It does take long to secure markets, but these are markets we've been working on, and I elaborated on China, but that was just one example. I'm not going to ignore that that does not come with geopolitical implications, but we've always taken a view that as a country, we're non-partisan. As a country, we've taken a view that we will trade with all parties on the basis on what's best for us. I'm not suggesting that there's unlikely to be complications."
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