JOHANNESBURG, May 30 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Bulelani Magwanishe has led an investment road show in China in a bid to attract Chinese investment for South Africa's special economic zones (SEZs).
The South African Department of Trade and Industry said on Wednesday that the Chinese business community showed some interest in the country's SEZs during the road show which was held in Shanghai this week.
"The trip presented officials from our SEZs with a golden opportunity to interact directly with the Chinese companies and present to them the value-propositions of our special economic zones," said Ikhraam Osman, CEO of Free State Development Corporation.
"There is a logistics company that showed interest in investing in the SEZ. This was the first contact and it means we need to have follow-up meetings to exchange more technical information that will assist them to make a decision about investing in our SEZ," said Osman.
The South Africans briefed their Chinese counterparts on the country's special economic zones and the opportunities and incentives, said Osman.
The project executive for the North West-based Platinum Valley SEZ, Davis Sadike, said that the trip was successful, and that the trip made him understand the success of the Chinese SEZ model and how it led to the country's economic growth.
"The interaction with the Chinese companies gave us a better understanding of their needs when it comes to investment in foreign projects," said Sadike.
"We managed to share specific information of our SEZ with two companies who are operating in the renewable energy and locomotives sectors," said Sadike.
"A good foundation has been laid for us to explore future discussions with these companies and others that we met," said Sadike.