South Africa intends to send a high-level delegation to Washington to safeguard the duty-free access its automobile, fruits, and nuts industries enjoy under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). However, it will first confer with China and Europe to project that it has the support of other strong economies before it approaches the Trump administration. Tensions with the US have grown since President Trump froze aid over South Africa’s new land expropriation law, which Washington claims unfairly targets white Afrikaner farmers. Pretoria denies these allegations, stressing no land has been seized. Analysts warn that losing AGOA would harm foreign investment and cost jobs, while critics argue that prioritizing diplomatic ties with Beijing first might aggravate Trump’s administration further.
Source: SEMAFOR