Last week saw the signing of a joint venture agreement between China Shipping Africa Holdings and Seaclad Maritime to create China Shipping South Africa Agency – representing China Shipping Container Lines (CSCL) in South Africa. The line will offer two weekly full container services on the South America, East and South Africa (SEAS) route and one weekly full container service on the Far East and West Africa (WAX) route. “It was important for us to find the right partners for the new company and Seaclad was the obvious choice since they have been successfully operating as general agents for CSCL in South Africa since 2001,” said Victor Tang, managing director of China Shipping Africa Holdings. He added that trade relations between South Africa and China were further strengthened by the official visit to the country by newly elected Chinese president Xi Jinping in March during the fifth Brics Summit held in Durban. “We anticipate huge trade opportunities in South Africa and this development is a clear indication of the China Shipping Group’s commitment to growing trade in the country,” said Tang. South Africa is currently China’s biggest trade partner in Africa. In 2012, the trade between the two countries amounted to US$60bn. According to the Economic and Commercial Council in China, the total trade between South Africa and China for the first three months of 2013 amounted to US$11bn. In 2012, Chinese companies invested US$8bn in South Africa. CAPTION Jiang Wei, economic and commercial counsellor from the Chinese Embassy in South Africa; Tau Morwe, chief executive of Transnet National Ports Authority; and Victor Tang officially cut the ribbon to launch China Shipping South Africa Agency.
