Shipping inquiry raises stakes for US-South Africa relations

Walsh says recent article by President Ramaphosa clearly raises the stakes in the matter

- SIPHELELE DLUDLA

A US policy expert has warned that the new US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) inquiry launched last week could pose significant risk for US-SA relations via potential shipping sanctions, at a time when relations between the two countries were already at an all-time low.

The Federal Maritime Commission is gathering information about seven international maritime chokepoints to identify any regulations, policies, or practices that create unfavorable shipping conditions.

The seven chokepoints being examined are: the Northern Sea Passage, the English Channel, the Malacca Strait, the Singapore Strait, the Strait of Gibraltar, the Panama Canal, and the Suez Canal.

Michael Walsh, a non-resident senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, an American think tank based in Pennsylvania, said on Friday that although the Cape of Good Hope was not classified as a choke point, the inquiry still carried significant risks for US-South Africa relations on at least three fronts.

First, Walsh said the inquiry signaled that the US government was committed to investigating foreign governments who take maritime-related actions that harm US trade, including foreign governments that have imposed regulations, policies, or practices that undermine free competition.