PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa is optimistic that the discussion between Mzansi and Japan will yield good results.
Last week, South Africa participated in the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Tokyo, Japan.
Ramaphosa said the forum is important for strengthening bilateral trade and investment between Asian and African countries.
"Japan is an important trading partner for South Africa in sectors such as construction, manufacturing, technology and agriculture."
Ramaphosa quipped that at the business forum held on the sidelines of the TICAD9, business representatives from Mzansi and Japan discussed potential areas of collaboration in clean and renewable energy, automotive components and hydrogen production.
He said one of the promising discussions was around the continental expansion plans by the Japanese automaker, Isuzu Motors.
"Isuzu's South African plant has trialled the manufacture of commercial trucks and truck bodies locally and is engaging with Isuzu Motors Japan on its plans to become a manufacturing hub for the African market."
Ramaphosa pointed out that at a time of global trade disruptions and mounting tariff pressures, participating in forums like the TICAD9 is key to the country's economic diplomacy efforts.
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He mentioned that South Africa's National Interest Framework Policy Document, published in 2022, is clear that it is in the country's national interest to forge strategic alliances that support economic partnerships and trading arrangements that favour, advance and safeguard the national interest.
"In the spirit of Kwame Nkrumah's famous words: 'We face neither East nor West, we face forward.' South Africa will continue to engage with partners in both the Global North and Global South. Our approach is neither partisan nor beholden, but strategic."
Ramaphosa Mzansi's economic diplomacy is centred on securing market access, attracting investment and promoting sustainable development.
"At a time when our country faces potentially high tariffs imposed by the US administration, we are continuing to put in place measures that reduce our dependence on historical markets. South Africa continues to advocate for an international trade regime that is fair, equitable and rules-based. We are seeking a trade regime that does not render developing economies vulnerable to unilateral measures or protectionist pressures."
The President emphasised that Mzansi's foreign policy outlook is not determined by pressure exerted by outside forces, but by principle.
"It is on principle that we continue to stand with the Palestinian people in their quest for statehood, recognising as we do the pain of dispossession, land theft and state-sanctioned brutality. Even when a number of countries criticised us for doing so, and before the full extent of the brutality in Gaza was laid bare, our commitment to peace, justice and the rule of law informed our decision to take Israel to the International Court of Justice."
Ramaphosa said Mzansi has lent its support to peace efforts across the continent and beyond.
These efforts, he said, include the peacebuilding process in Lesotho, contributing to the Arusha Peace Accords in Burundi and the wider Great Lakes region, and to the Revitalised Agreement to Resolve the Conflict in South Sudan.
He said respect for multilateralism and the pursuit of peace will continue to define the country's outlook, as will the advancement of social justice and human rights.
"South Africa's national interest will forever remain independent, not beholden to external influence. It will reflect our constitutional values and national priorities. As we continue to engage constructively with the international community, we have been consistent that this should always be on the basis of mutual respect."
