New partnership with United States 'will be hard to resist'
Trade Profile South Africa - United States
$ 000, Year-to-date is Jan.-March, data direction is from US perspective
As democracies that stand for human rights, South Africa and the US should speak with one voice on international issues, says US President Barack Obama.
While South Africa and the US may share a passion for protecting human rights, the countries are, however, poles apart when it comes to tackling global challenges.
An example close to home is differences in the approach of the US and South Africa to the situation in Zimbabwe — while the US prefers sanctions, South Africa has opted for mediation. On Cuba, Syria, Libya and the Congo the two countries hold different views.
While bilateral ties are strong, the US and South Africa agreed at the weekend to "do a better job of communicating" on multinational issues, "to make sure that we anticipate potential areas of tension, that we understand ourselves clearly, that sometimes it’s important for us to be able to express to each other the way in which history shapes how we view some of these issues", Mr Obama said during a joint media briefing with Mr Zuma on Saturday.
"And I think the more dialogue we have on those issues I think because we are democracies that stand for human rights and stand for certain principles, the truth is we should be aligned internationally," Mr Obama said.
Mr Zuma and Mr Obama discussed a range of international issues during their brief talks at the Union Buildings on Saturday.
Mr Obama said while the two governments may not agree on everything, they had both seen the progress that could be made when they worked together.
"Given South Africa’s history and given what it represents to the world, and given the interests we share — as democracies that believe in constitutions and rule of law, and human rights and the dignities of all people — I believe that we can stand shoulder to shoulder for issues of security and justice and human rights," he said. "And I believe when the US and South Africa stand together on an issue in multilateral fora, it’s hard to resist."
His comments come at a time when South Africa is cementing its position in the Brics bloc alongside Brazil, Russia, India and China. South Africa and the continent played host to the Brics summit in Durban earlier this year.
South Africa is more aligned to its Brics partners on international issues — and economic and trade ties with them are growing rapidly.
Mr Obama’s visit to South Africa follows a state visit to the US from his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. The US has had to play catch-up with the Chinese and the Indians, who are already active in Africa. According to international reports Mr Jinping has visited three African countries since taking office in March, including South Africa, and former Chinese president Hu Jintao reportedly had been to 17 African nations in a single 10-month stretch between July 2006 and February 2007.
This is Mr Obama’s first visit to South Africa since taking office in 2008 — it comes during his second term after high expectations for a visit during his first term.
Mr Obama said the US was happy and "not threatened" by countries such as China, India, Russia and Turkey. They have also recognised Africa’s potential but he cautioned that dealings with them should be examined to ensure that they benefit Africa.
"I do think that it’s important for Africans to make sure that these interactions are good for Africa. If somebody says they want to come build something here, are they hiring African workers? If somebody says that they want to help you develop your natural resources, how much of the money is staying in Africa? If they say that they’re very interested in a certain industry, is the manufacturing and value-added done in Africa? Are they tolerating corruption that’s not benefiting the people but just benefiting a few at the top in their interactions with African countries?"
Mr Obama described South Africa as a "critical partner" and expressed a desire for the two countries to do more business together. Africa was on the rise and South Africa was at the forefront, he said.
He kicked off a whirlwind visit to South Africa on Saturday, after talks with Mr Zuma and a high-level government delegation.
Mr Obama said it was important for trade negotiations in the future to ensure a win-win situation for both South Africa and the US in terms of delivering jobs and opportunities.
Mr Zuma said during the talks South Africa had placed "bankable" projects on the table, ranging from infrastructure development to skills development for the youth.
He urged Mr Obama to encourage Africa’s "traditional supporters" not to "abandon their pledges to Africa" in light of the economic and financial challenges in the US and in the eurozone — two key South African trading partners.
Despite the protests against the visit by members of the African National Congress’s ally, the Congress of South African Trade Unions, he was received warmly by both the ANC and the government.
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