Hong Kong–South Africa relations
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Hong Kong–South Africa relations refers to the current and historical relationship between Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China, and the
Republic of South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
. South Africa and Hong Kong are former British colonies, with English as one of their official languages, which has been a factor in South African companies using Hong Kong as a hub for expansion into Mainland China. South Africa is represented in Hong Kong by a Consulate General in Wanchai, which is also accredited to Macau. Hong Kong's trade relations with South Africa are promoted by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council office in Johannesburg.


History


Under apartheid

South Africa has had trade ties with Hong Kong from the time when it was under British administration, and it did not recognise the People's Republic of China, instead recognising the
Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...
on Taiwan.Taiwan loses a major ally
'' BBC News Online'', 30 December 1997
At the time, South Africa was under apartheid, but it encouraged trade and investment from Hong Kong as well as
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. In order to accommodate Asian investors, the South African government created an "
honorary white Honorary whites is a term that was used by the apartheid regime of South Africa to grant some of rights and privileges of whites to those who would otherwise have been treated as non-whites under the Population Registration Act. This was made o ...
" status, exempting them from restrictions imposed on other non-whites, including the local
Chinese community The Chinese people or simply Chinese, are people or ethnic groups identified with China, usually through ethnicity, nationality, citizenship, or other affiliation. Chinese people are known as Zhongguoren () or as Huaren () by speakers of s ...
.South Africa: Honorary Whites
'' TIME'', 19 January 1962
It later offered generous incentives and subsidies to
Taiwanese Taiwanese may refer to: * Taiwanese language, another name for Taiwanese Hokkien * Something from or related to Taiwan ( Formosa) * Taiwanese aborigines, the indigenous people of Taiwan * Han Taiwanese, the Han people of Taiwan * Taiwanese people, ...
, and some Hong Kong Chinese, to settle and invest in South Africa. Pretoria initially appointed a representative in Hong Kong in the 1960s, known as the Trade Commissioner for the Republic of South Africa. In the 1970s, this was replaced by a Consulate General, which was also responsible for trade relations with Thailand and the
Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...
on Taiwan.
South African Airways South African Airways (SAA) is the flag carrier airline of South Africa. Founded in 1934, the airline is headquartered in Airways Park at O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and operated a hub-and-spoke network, serving ten destin ...
also began weekly flights between Johannesburg's
Jan Smuts Airport O. R. Tambo International Airport is an international airport situated in Kempton Park, Gauteng, South Africa. It serves as the primary airport for domestic and international travel to/from South Africa and since 2020, it is Africa's second ...
and Hong Kong's Kai Tak via
Plaisance Airport Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport is the main international airport in Mauritius. It is located southeast of the capital city of Port Louis. The airport was previously known as the ''Plaisance Airport'' and has direct flights to ...
in Mauritius. Later in 1991, as sanctions were lifted and trade and tourism began to increase,
Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (CPA), more widely known as Cathay Pacific (), is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport. The airline's operations and subsidiaries have sc ...
also began flights on the same route.''Financial Mail''
Volume 121, Issues 5-9, 1991, page 102
Hong Kong, despite then being linked to the
Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
as a
British colony The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remnants of the former Bri ...
, did not comply with its measures against South Africa. Instead, like Britain, it only imposed unilateral sanctions, banning the imports of Krugerrands, iron and steel until 1991.


Post apartheid

Following the end of apartheid in 1994, and the coming to power of the African National Congress, there were concerns regarding future ties between South Africa and Hong Kong, given that Britain was due to transfer sovereignty of the territory to China in 1997. As Hong Kong had been under British administration, South Africa was able to maintain a consulate by virtue of its diplomatic relations with Britain. The South African government was concerned that after the handover Beijing might downgrade its consulate and the country would no longer be allowed to use Hong Kong as a transit route for air traffic and trade with the rest of the region. In addition, the leadership of the South African Communist Party, many of whom held important positions in the new government, were strongly in support of shifting recognition to Beijing. In December 1996, South Africa announced it would end relations with Taiwan in favour of the People's Republic of China in January 1998. Under a transitional arrangement, it was able to maintain its consulate in Hong Kong for an interim six-month period, until relations with Beijing were finally established, while existing air services were temporarily retained.Statement on Future South Africa/Hong Kong Relations by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Aziz Pahad, June 12, 1997
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Trade

In 2002, South Africa was ranked Hong Kong's 32nd largest trading partner, with exports including iron and
steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
, pearls, precious and semi-precious stones, fruit and
nuts Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut or Nuts may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Com ...
, aluminium and non-ferrous base metal waste and
scrap Scrap consists of Recycling, recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap Waste valorization, has monetary ...
.Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region)
Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Republic of South Africa
In the same period, Hong Kong's exports to South Africa included watches and clocks, textile yarn, fabrics, electronic parts and accessories, telecommunications equipment and polymers of styrene. South African companies have established seven regional offices and twelve local offices in Hong Kong, which include those of Standard Bank,
South African Airways South African Airways (SAA) is the flag carrier airline of South Africa. Founded in 1934, the airline is headquartered in Airways Park at O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and operated a hub-and-spoke network, serving ten destin ...
, steel supplier Macsteel, fruit company Metspan, paper company Sappi Trading, energy company Sasol Chemical Pacific, financial services company Sasfin Asia and brewery
SAB Miller SABMiller plc was a South African multinational brewing and beverage company headquartered in Woking, England on the outskirts of London until 10 October 2016 when it was acquired by Anheuser-Busch InBev. Prior to that date, it was the worl ...
.South Africa: Market Profile
Hong Kong Trade Development Council, 5 October 2015
Hong Kong's exports to South Africa were
US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
547 million in the first seven months of 2015, while imports from South Africa were US$677 million in the same period. In 2014, Hong Kong and South Africa signed a Comprehensive Double Taxation Agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and tax evasion, the 31st such agreement concluded by Hong Kong.Hong Kong, South Africa enter into tax pact
Government Information Centre, October 17, 2014


See also

* Foreign relations of Hong Kong * Foreign relations of South Africa


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:South Africa-Hong Kong relations South Africa Hong Kong South Africa Hong Kong and the Commonwealth of Nations