(3 Minutes Read)
Driven by concerns over US national security and foreign policy interests, the US House of Representatives passed a bill in March requiring a complete review of the US and South Africa relationship. That bill must still be passed by the Senate, but with the Republicans set to control both houses, the party’s views will be critical to the future of the relationship.
Ebrahim Rasool is to be South Africa’s next ambassador to the United States; the SA-US relations need a radical overhaul. The Trump presidency is set to change how the US engages with the rest of the world with far more emphasis on bilateralism.
The two countries’ relationship has been strained over the last two years. The US feels that the SA’s foreign policy is threatening its foreign security interests. Many in Washington have been angered by SA’s engagements with Russia and China, as well as the position on the Israel/Palestine conflict.
While the US is the second largest trading partner after China, the trade balance is in favour of SA and includes a high proportion of manufactured goods. Vehicles and machinery form a large part of the export basket alongside foodstuffs and minerals. In contrast, our trade with China is characterized by high volumes of raw material exports and an even higher volume of manufactured goods imports.
South Africa will be playing an important role in global geopolitics, taking over as chair of the G20 next month, with the US due to take over next December. It is, therefore, an important time for the relationship on the global stage, while bilateral issues, including the future of our trading relationship, will be far more direct between the two sides.
Driven by concerns over US national security and foreign policy interests, the US House of Representatives passed a bill in March requiring a complete review of the US and South Africa relationship. That bill must still be passed by the Senate, but with the Republicans set to control both houses, the party’s views will be critical to the future of the relationship.
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The African Growth and Opportunity Act, which supports African countries’ access to US markets for certain kinds of goods, is set to expire next September, and Trump has not yet provided any indication on whether he intends to renew it and continue to include South Africa among the nations that benefit from it.
