South Africa in the World Trading System.doc
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1、8. South Africa in the World Trading SystemByTrudi HartzenbergSAPES TrustHarare, ZimbabweandRashad CassimTrade and Industrial Policy SecretariatJohannesburg, South Africa1.IntroductionThe conclusion of the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations coincided with South Africas transition to a democratic di
2、spensation in 1994. This coincidence of events marked South Africas return to the international economic community and more active participation in the regional integration initiatives in southern Africa. South Africas unilateral commitment to trade liberalization was strengthened by its World Trade
3、 Organization(WTO) commitment (it became the first African country to tender a General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade GATT offer), which in turn bestowed credibility on the countrys outward-oriented development strategy. This paper focuses on South Africas interface with the WTO. Despite being an or
4、iginal signatory to the GATT in 1947, South Africas status was unclear owing to its apartheid policies and the stringent trade and investment sanctions against the country, especially during the 1980s. The paper begins with an examination of South Africas trade policy and performance, pre- and post-
5、Uruguay. Next, it surveys South Africas market access conditions and examines the impact of the Uruguay Round agreements on that access. The paper analyses the influence of the WTO on the countrys trade policy and related policy initiatives, and then focuses on South Africas regional and bilateral t
6、rading agreements and assesses whether these are in conflict with or complementary to the countrys multilateral trade strategy. Finally, an assessment of future trade and related challenges, and the countrys priorities in this regard, are explored.2.South Africas trade performance South Africa is a
7、typical middle income country with a highly diversified industrial structure. Its trade profile is by contrast much less diversified, although the export sector has become increasingly diversified, especially since the early 1990s. Table 8.1 shows the changing composition of South Africas exports si
8、nce the late 1980s.Table 8.1: South Africas export profile, 1988_1996Category 1988 1992 1996Gold 36% 27% 22%Primary products 20% 21% 20%Beneficiated primary products 23% 23% 28%Material intensive products 5% 5% 7%Manufactures 6% 13% 18%Source: Industrial Development Corporation. The traditional sign
9、ificance of gold in terms of its contribution to GDP and to export earnings, as during the recent past shown a marked decline. By contrast the relative importance of other commodities has increased. Diamonds, metallic minerals, coal, platinum, metal ores and others, in particular, are growing in sig
10、nificance. Despite this diversification, primary commodities still dominate South Africas trade profile. Table 2 shows the percentage contribution of all minerals, and gold in particular, to total exports for the period 1985_1995.Table 8.2: South Africas exports: Contribution of minerals (in percent
11、ages)Year1985198619871988198919901991199219931995All minerals66.7666057.757.154.253.249.148.742Gold43.442.540.33833.831.2302929.720Sources: Department of Mineral and Energy Affairs, Central Statistical Services, Industrial Development Corporation.When examining products in which South Africa has a r
12、evealed comparative advantage (RCA), it is not surprising that minerals and other material-intensive products emerge as key products. Table 8.3 lists those products (based on the 1996 Harmonized System HS code) where South Africa has an RCA greater than 0.5.Table 8.3: South Africas revealed comparat
13、ive advantage1996 HS CodeProduct categoryRCA71Pearls & precious stones 11.929026Ores, slag & ash 9.882208Edible vegetables 5.894325Salt, sulphur & earths 5.671811Milling products 4.696075Nickel & articles 4.538481Base metals 4.429751Wool, fine & coarse 4.064072Iron & steel 3.833628Inorganic chemical
14、s 3.463420Vegetable preparations 3.307747Pulp of wood 2.724422Beverages & spirits 2.643341Hides, leather & skins 2.226406Trees & plants 1.869574Copper & articles 1.794217Sugar & confectionery 1.655027Mineral fuels & oils 1.254003Fish & aquatic products 1.209110Cereals 1.167912Oil seeds & grains 1.01
15、7648Paper & paperboard 0.967536Explosives & pyrotechnics 0.831915Animal & vegetable fats 0.801631Fertilizers 0.799286Railway locomotives 0.792044Wood & articles 0.768394Furniture & medical 0.683301Live animals 0.667468Building products 0.621338Other chemicals 0.617873Articles of iron or steel 0.6154
16、Source:UNCTAD, 1997a, Trade Analysis and Information System.South Africas recent trade patternsManufactures, which currently constitute less than 20% of South Africas exports, are showing significant growth, albeit from a small base. For the last five years manufactured exports have grown at an aver
17、age of approximately 5% per annum in U.S. dollar terms (CSS). The sectors that have accounted for this growth are: Iron and steel (20% growth per annum, on average) Beverages (37%) Electrical machinery (29%) Metal products (19%) Transport equipment (19%) Industrial chemicals (9%)The average annual g
18、rowth rates for the last five years are shown in parentheses (Bureau of Economic Research). What emerges from closer analysis is that since the late 1980s South Africas downstream export capacity has improved. Manufactured exports, beneficiated mineral exports and material intensive export products
19、have shown noteworthy increases. These value-added products increased their contribution to total exports from approximately 30% in 1988/89 to approximately 50% in 1995/96. There is still a long way to go, however, as primary and semi-processed products still dominate South Africas exports. Developm
20、ent of the countrys downstream manufacturing export capacity is therefore a priority.As is to be expected, the destinations for South Africas exports differ across markets. Non-traditional exports tend to be associated with non-traditional markets. Of significance for South Africa is the most favour
21、ed nation (MFN) phase-out schedule for specific markets, specifically for African countries where South Africas manufactured exports have been growing, in U.S. dollar terms, at 12% per annum on average for the period 1991 to 1996. Table 8.4 shows the growth of Southern African Customs Union (SACU) e
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