On 29 June 2026, Mr. Shu Wei, Vice Minister of the State Administration for Market Regulation of China (SAMR) and Mr. Parks Tau, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition of South Africa, signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) to deepen bilateral cooperation on quality infrastructure.
Image from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, Republic of South Africa.
The agreements establish an institutional framework for alignment on standards, metrology, and conformity assessment, while promoting the integration of industrial and supply chains between the two countries. They also advance the “soft connectivity” of rules and standards under the Belt and Road Initiative, creating a concrete mechanism for regulatory institutions to collaborate in reducing unnecessary technical barriers to trade and facilitating greater market access for businesses in both economies.
A separate MOU was signed between the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS) and the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS), witnessed by both ministers. The CNAS-SANAS agreement was formally signed by Mr. Kuang Xu, Director-General of SAMR’s Department of Accreditation and Inspection and Executive Deputy Director of the CNAS Plenary Committee, and Dr. Tshengedzeni Demana, Chairperson of the SANAS Board.
Under the CNAS-SANAS MOU, the two bodies will conduct exchanges through information sharing, experience exchange, mutual visits, joint assessment activities, and training workshops. This technical cooperation will strengthen accreditation as a pillar of quality infrastructure connectivity between China and South Africa, and more broadly between China and Africa, supporting the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative.
SANAS is South Africa’s sole national accreditation body and the oldest and largest accreditation body on the African continent. The two sides initialed the CNAS-SANAS MOU in September 2024 during the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
The agreements build upon the Framework Agreement on the Economic Partnership for Shared Development (CADEPA), signed earlier this year in Beijing by Minister Tau and China’s Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao. The MOUs are expected to support the implementation of China’s unilateral zero-tariff arrangement for South African goods, which entered into effect on 1 May 2026, with South Africa implementing corresponding arrangements from 1 June 2026.
Minister Tau highlighted that South Africa is particularly encouraged by opportunities for cooperation in new energy vehicles, mutual recognition of conformity assessment results, critical minerals, green economy metrology, food safety systems, renewable energy technologies, and emerging areas such as digital and artificial intelligence metrology.
Together, the MOUs create a comprehensive framework for China–South Africa cooperation on standards, metrology, and conformity assessment – from governmental policy coordination down to technical operational collaboration – reinforcing the role of quality infrastructure as a cornerstone of bilateral and continental economic integration.
Source:
https://www.cnas.org.cn/zxzx/rkwyhxx/art/2026/art_854b9c82b90e40cea2b9110f3112ceda.html
https://www.samr.gov.cn/xw/zj/art/2026/art_1299232c99894fadb46075adc714121d.html
