South Africa says work underway to reach deal with US over tariff issues

Johannesburg, July 30 (IANS) South Africa is working to reach an agreement with the United States, with the deadline for the 30 per cent tariff imposed by Washington on South Africa set to come into effect in three days, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition said in a statement.

According to the statement, "the intersection of geopolitical, domestic and trade issues" defines the current impasse between South Africa and the United States, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We remain committed to the cause as we await substantive feedback from our US counterparts on the final status of our Framework deal," said the South African trade department.

It further noted that "intense" negotiations have been underway with the United States. "We have signed a condition precedent document and have readied our inputs for entry into the template, which is to follow from the US," it said.

"Despite the challenges that have been presented by this period, we have put our best foot forward, bringing together the subject specialists within our ranks that have dug deep to ensure that our country is adequately prepared for a number of potential scenarios. We have planned for these scenarios and have not sat idle," the department said.

It also rejected any plan to "decouple" from the United States, noting that South Africa "took the decision not to retaliate" to the tariffs announced by Washington.

"Our view is that negotiations remain the best tool to deal with the issues that are on the table. South Africa is not in a unique position as the United States attempts to finalize negotiations with some 185 countries around the world by August 1, 2025," the department added.

--IANS

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