In 2010, South Africa joined the BRICS bloc: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. BRICS is an association of regional powers across four continents, originating from an informal alliance in trade negotiations. So far, members have signed agreements among others on customs, energy efficiency, and tax. They have also set up a…"

This paper examines the potential of a new regional framework for thinking about AGOA. It proceeds in four parts. Part 1 provides an overview of trade under AGOA, examining trends in trade, which products are traded, and profiling the tariff advantages of the programme. Part 2 looks at the bilateral impact of AGOA…"

The United States of America (USA) is South Africa’s second largest single trade partner after China, having imported US$13 billion (about R192 billion) worth of goods in 2021. South Africa’s top five exports to the USA are platinum, motor vehicles, miscellaneous chemical products (some chemicals are used to create monomers and polymers for plastics), ferro-alloys, and…"

This paper argues that South Africa needs to mainstream climate change into its National Development Plan (and Sustainable Development Goals), by advancing i) climate resilient development  through several pathways, including; ii) South Africa’s Nationally Determined Contribution commitment to a low-carbon economy; iii) renewable energy and transition to a low-carbon economy; iv) climate change…"

Bilateral or regional trade agreements (RTAs) are essentially preferential in nature and a deviation from the World Trade Organization principle of most-favoured-nation or non-discrimination, as they are intended to benefit signatory countries. However, the agreement could be abused by competitive third-countries that use a member country of the RTA (that has a low…"

The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is a headline policy initiative of the European Green Deal. One of the drivers of the CBAM is that carbon emissions should have a price, and the CBAM is intended to “align the carbon price on imports with that applicable within the EU”. This policy brief provides…"

This policy brief is an initial assessment of the European Green Deal, examining what is currently known about the risks it creates for South African exporters. It provides a summary of what regulatory changes are expected in the EGD, what risks these changes pose for South African firms, and what can be done…"

The European Green Deal (EGD) is a is a set of policy initiatives by the European Commission with the overarching aim of making Europe climate neutral by 2050. These policy initiatives aim to make all sectors of the European Union’s economy fit to contribute to the European Union reaching its climate targets by…"

The current global health crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic has refocused our attention on the shortcomings of the TRIPS Agreement and the patent system in dealing with global health crises. This time around, developing countries must ensure that the TRIPS waiver succeeds in creating the momentum needed to build manufacturing capacities in the…"

This working paper provides insights into the current debates on export restrictions in the World Trade Organization agriculture negotiations. An overview of the previous discussions on export restrictions is presented in an effort to draw similarities between the previous discussions and the current discussions. The paper also offers some observations on the possibility…"

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its role in Africa is controversial. This paper argues that African countries should work through regional organisations, such as the African Union (AU) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to use their agency and negotiate with China to advance their own interests. The experiences…"

This case study focuses specifically on the emerging export opportunities for South Africa in the development of green hydrogen. This refers to hydrogen that is produced through the process of electrolysis that is combined with a renewable energy source of power. While green hydrogen development has gone through a number of historical waves…"

Exports to China have fluctuated between 9% and 12% of South Africa’s exports between 2010 and 2020. South Africa’s main exports to China comprise metal products. China is the largest emitter of greenhouse gas (GHG), for both production and consumption. This stems mainly from coal-based electricity generation and mining. While both China’s domestic…"

South Africa’s top exports to India are coal, manganese, chemical wood pulp, platinum and spark-ignition engines. India is a key export partner of South Africa, accounting for 5% of exports over the 2010 to 2019 period. India’s transition towards increased consumption of domestic thermal coal and reduced thermal coal imports, combined with investments…"

Exports to Japan accounted for 5% of South Africa’s exports between 2010 and 2019. Production processes in Japan have been characterised by high fossil fuel use, especially following the Fukushima nuclear accident which saw nuclear power being substituted by fossil fuels. Japan’s climate change mitigation is centered on carbon capture technologies, increasing energy…"

South Africa chiefly exports agricultural products and metals to Russia. Exports to Russia account for 0.4% of South Africa’s global exports. Russia is the world’s fourth largest emitter of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Russia continues to invest in coal mining without any substantial climate change commitments. The country lacks a clear climate change mitigation…"

South Africa’s top exports to South Korea are iron ore, coal, ferroalloys and vehicles. Exports to South Korea accounted for about 2% of South Africa’s exports over the 2010 to 2019 period. South Korea has committed to a low-carbon energy policy and has set greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets of 37% below business…"

The European Union (EU) is a significant export destination for South African products. Between 2010 and 2019, exports to the EU averaged between 16% and 19% of South African exports. The main exports to the EU over this period were motor vehicles and metals. South African exports to the EU are at risk…"

  WTO reform and the crisis of multilateralism: A Developing Country Perspective By Faizel Ismail The WTO has not been able to recover since the collapse of the Doha Round in July 2008. Several ministerial conferences including the Buenos Aires meeting in December 2017 failed to reach agreement. The US Trump Administration launched…"

With greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions coming to the fore of nations’ climate policy concerns, the wine industry faces a new challenge. Viniculture (grape cultivation for winemaking) is directly susceptible to climate change impacts due to grapevines being highly sensitive to the surrounding environment, such as changes in weather patterns. In addition, the industry…"