A visit to Washington by a high-profile delegation of ministers, business leaders and unionists lowered tensions around the renewal of SA's preferential trade deal with the US.
lowered tensions around the renewal of SA's preferential trade deal with the US, Minister of Trade and Industry Ebrahim Patel has said. The panel, which included Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana and Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, visited the US Capitol in July to meet with lawmakers amid fears SA could lose access to AGOA in 2024.
The trade deal allows 25% of SA exports to enter the US tariff-free, including around $1.5 billion in vehicle exports. In June, a group of US legislators wrote to the White House questioning whether it was appropriate for SA to host this year's AGOA forum as it was"in danger of losing AGOA benefits".
The lawmakers said that while SA claimed to be neutral in the war in Ukraine, the country had held joint naval exercises with Russia, possibly covertly supplied arms to Russia on theGetting better Putin, who is the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant,that SA will host the AGOA summit as planned in Johannesburg in early November. Patel described the US visit in July as a success.
"It was also deeply appreciated that, in a country like SA the rule of law is important and that the president took the effort to set up a panel with a very respected retired judge," he said. Earlier this monthpanel found no evidence that arms were loaded onto the ship to be transported to Russia. Ramaphosa announced the findings of the probe about seven weeks after Patel and colleagues met with US lawmakers.
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