SA plays down US trade tensions at Davos, insists investment momentum remains intact

TeamSA brushes aside concerns over South Africa's on-going trade tensions with the United States of America

- SIPHELELE DLUDLA

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump is set to deliver a special address at the WEF in Davos on Wednesday, his first time at WEF since his 2018 landmark speech, during which he openly rejected the WEF's climate agenda as a tool for control.

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TEAMSA in Davos has brushed aside concerns that the country's ongoing trade tension with the United States could potentially cloud the investment climate and thwart the country's mandate at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting.

This comes as the US President Donald Trump is set to deliver a special address at the WEF on Wednesday, his first time in Davos since his 2018 landmark speech, during which he openly rejected the WEF's climate agenda as a tool for control.

Diplomatic and trade relations have deteriorated between the two countries since Trump retook the White House a year ago, with his administration accusing South Africa of implementing racist laws, persecuting the minority Afrikaner community and aligning itself with enemies such as Russia and Iran.

The US is one of South Africa's most important trade and investment partners, and questions around evolving US trade policy, protectionist pressures and geopolitical alignments continue to surface in Davos conversations.