By REGINALD KANYANE  

25 August 2025- The Republic of South Africa (RSA) president, Cyril Ramaphosa said last week, the country participated in the 9^th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Japan. Ramaphosa said this is an important forum for strengthening bilateral trade and investment between Japan and African countries.

He further said Japan is an important trading partner for South Africa in sectors such as construction, manufacturing, technology and agriculture. Ramaphosa added that at the business forum held on the sidelines of TICAD9 business representatives from South Africa and Japan discussed potential areas of collaboration in clean and renewable energy, automotive components and hydrogen production.

“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.

“At a time of global trade disruptions and mounting tariff pressures, participating in forums like TICAD is key to our economic diplomacy efforts. Economic diplomacy is an important part of our country’s foreign policy, and has become all the more critical at a time of economic headwinds and global power shifts,” he said.

Ramaphosa said 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 our national interest. He said 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.

Our 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,” said Ramaphosa.

He said likewise, their foreign policy is anchored in multilateralism, respect for sovereignty and the pursuit of alliances that advance peace, justice and our national interest. Ramaphosa said South Africa’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.

“We continue to stand in principled solidarity with the peoples of Western Sahara in their struggle for self-determination, even when this has found us at odds with other countries, including on the African continent,” he said.

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