SC Economic: Committee Annual Report 2010; China Study Tour Report

Meeting report

The Chairperson said that apologies had been received from the following Committee members:

Mr M Maine (ANC, North West)
Ms E van Lingen (DA, Eastern Cape)
Ms B Abrahams (DA, Gauteng)

China Study Tour Report
The Chairperson presented the draft China Study Tour Report for adoption.

Mr A Lees (DA, Kwazulu Natal) moved for adoption and Mr D Gamede (ANC, Kwazulu Natal) seconded.

Mr K Sinclair (COPE, Northern Cape) pointed out said that there were not enough provinces represented at the meeting for the Committee to take any official decisions or adopt any documents.

Mr Sinclair said that the draft Report contained two important omissions. These included:
•The briefing by the Consulate-General on South Africa’s diplomatic relationship with Taiwan. Questions were asked about why South Africa only had a diplomatic relationship with China.
•The debate about the buy-in of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) into Standard Bank. The conclusion that this must include a developmental agenda for Africa was not reflected in the report.

The Chairperson replied that the discussion about Standard Bank had been shifted to the Select Committee on Trade and International Relations. In addition, he recalled that it was the Ambassador, and not the Consulate-General, who had given the briefing. The Ambassador had said that the diplomatic relationship between South Africa and Taiwan was still being cemented.

Mr Sinclair conceded that it might have been the Ambassador, but said that his statement should still be reflected in the report. It should be made clear that an invitation to Taiwan had not being taken up
due to the complexity of the diplomatic relationship between that country and China.
Mr D Gamede (ANC, KwaZulu-Natal) said that the possibility of starting a diplomatic relationship with Taiwan had only been “socially” discussed.

The Chairperson said that Members should put further comments in writing and send them to the Committee Secretary. The Draft Report would be presented again for adoption at the next meeting.
2010 Annual Committee Report
The Chairperson tabled the Committee’s 2010 Annual Report for discussion.
Mr Lees suggested that the attendance register be reflected in the Annual Report. This would be helpful from a performance assessment point-of-view. He added that a broad breakdown of the Committee’s expenditure should also be included.

Mr Sinclair said that cancelled expenses should also be indicated. The Committee should undertake an oversight trip to the Gariep dam region, which was an area of high economic potential. Shell’s investigation of shale gas in the Karoo must be discussed. A lot of resistance had been put up from the local community and farmers. The technology Shell proposed to use had not been approved in the United States. A meeting of all role players should take place.

The Chairperson said that a request to present to the Committee from a Phalaborwa mining company, and an invitation to a conference on solar power, had been received.

Mr Sinclair said that he had received an invitation to a conference on renewable energy, in Gauteng.
It was agreed that Members would submit their comments to the Committee Secretary. These will be incorporated and the report will be adopted

The meeting was adjourned.