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President Thabo Mbeki to Depart for Chile, Tuesday, 7 - Wednesday,
8 June 2005 South African President Thabo Mbeki, accompanied by Deputy
Minister Aziz Pahad, Minister Mosiuoa Lekota and Deputy Minister Lindiwe Hendriks
will depart for Chile on Monday, 06 June 2005 where he will pay a State Visit
scheduled for Tuesday - Wednesday, 7-8 June 2005. Issues on the agenda of
discussions between President Mbeki and his counterpart, President Ricardo Lagos
Escobar, scheduled for Tuesday, 7 June 2005, are expected to include, among others: ·
The status of bilateral political and economic relations between both countries
and ways of expanding already strong relations;
· The co-operation
between South Africa and Chile in advancing the developmental agenda of the South;
· The operationalisation of the institutions of the African Union (AU)
and the implementation of NEPAD projects in order to explore possible future co-operation
between Africa and South America;
· Co-operation of the defence forces
with the focus on the areas of peacekeeping and disaster management;
·
People-to-people co-operation through culture, sport and academic exchanges;
·
The reform of global governance including the United Nations and all its institutions;
President Mbeki will, on Wednesday 8 June 2005, address a joint sitting
of both Houses of Congress - the Senate and Chamber of Deputies - in Valparaiso. On
Tuesday, 7 June 2005 President Mbeki will be declared the Guest of Honour of the
City of Santiago at the City Hall, in a ceremony hosted by the Mayor, Raul Alcaino
and attended by mayors and municipal leaders in Chile and diplomatic representatives
following which President Mbeki will be awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University
of Chile. Bilateral Economic Relations Rapid growth in recent years
has seen large foreign direct investment (FDI) flows into Chile. It is estimated
that about US$8 billion in FDI is related to companies with South African links,
like Anglo-American and Liberty - Mutual. While South Africa is a modest
market for Chilean exports, South Africa is, by far, Chile's largest African trading
partner with 60 percent of Chile's exports to Africa destined for South Africa.
Bilateral trade between South Africa and Chile is concentrated in the primary
and semi-processed metal, chemical and agricultural (herbicide/insecticide) sectors.
The top export from South Africa by far is steel and steel products, which amounts
to 61,6 percent of total exports. | | South
African Exports | South African Imports | Total
Bilateral Trade | | 2004 | US$85
700 000 | US$48 000 000 | US$133
700 000 | | 2003 | US$57
7000 000 | US$58 200 000 | US$115
900 000 | | 2002 | US$46
946 674 | US$36 423 070 | US$83
369 744 | | 2001 | US$52
999 000 | US$32 941 000 | US$85
940 000 | | | | | |
Issued
by Ronnie Mamoepa on 082 990 4853
Department of Foreign Affairs
Private
Bag X152
Pretoria
0001
5 June 2005
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