ABSTRACT

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, South Africa faced significant economic challenges that have worsened in 2020 as the country has grappled with the impact of lock down and global uncertainty. Trade policy needs to be adapted to keep pace with technological developments and shifts in supply chains. Now is not the time to abandon the regional integration agenda that has been at the heart of South African trade policy for decades. It is the time to learn from the pandemic by supporting innovation, trade in services and digital trade. These issues need to be captured in a forward-looking trade policy for South Africa that can then form the basis of engagements with other members of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and beyond. An updated trade policy framework should be based on evidence and include input from all stakeholders, especially the private sector.

摘要

在COVID-19大流行之前，南非面临着严峻的经济挑战，随着该国努力应对锁定和全球不确定性的影响，该挑战在2020年进一步恶化。需要调整贸易政策，以跟上技术发展和供应链变化的步伐。现在不是放弃几十年来一直是南非贸易政策核心的区域一体化议程的时候了。现在是通过支持创新，服务贸易和数字贸易从大流行中学习的时候。这些问题需要在南非的前瞻性贸易政策中加以考虑，然后才能成为与南部非洲关税同盟（SACU）和其他国家或地区其他成员进行接触的基础。更新的贸易政策框架应以证据为基础，并包括所有利益相关者的意见，