Remarks by Deputy President Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile during the meeting with Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics, Shenzhen, China

President of the Mindray Group, Mr Hao Wu;
Senior Executives of Mindray Group;
Distinguished Guests;

Thank you for taking the time to meet with the South African delegation during our Working Visit to the People's Republic of China.

This visit reflects the importance that South Africa attaches to its strategic partnership with China and our shared commitment to strengthening trade, investment, industrial cooperation and people-to-people relations.

China remains South Africa's largest trading partner and one of our most important sources of investment, technology and industrial collaboration. 

Through this visit, we are seeking to deepen cooperation in strategic sectors that are critical to South Africa's growth and development objectives, including manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, digital technologies, healthcare, skills development and innovation.

Our objective is not merely to attract investment, but to establish long-term partnerships that contribute to industrialisation, technology transfer, localisation, skills development and sustainable job creation.

Healthcare is one of the sectors that lie at the centre of South Africa's development agenda.

We are committed to building a modern, inclusive and resilient healthcare system that delivers quality healthcare services to all our people.

This includes improving healthcare infrastructure, accelerating digital transformation, strengthening healthcare workforce capabilities and ensuring that innovation improves healthcare outcomes across both urban and rural communities.

President Hao Wu,
Thank you for Mindray's continued commitment to South Africa.

We appreciate the company's longstanding presence in our healthcare sector and the valuable partnerships that have been established with leading public and private healthcare institutions throughout the country.

Mindray's success in South Africa demonstrates the confidence that your company has in our healthcare market and in the broader South African economy.

We are particularly encouraged by your vision of supporting healthcare transformation through innovation, technology and skills development.

South Africa is pursuing universal healthcare coverage, healthcare digitisation and improved health outcomes. In this regard, we see significant opportunities for collaboration in the following areas:

* Smart hospitals and digital healthcare
* Telemedicine and remote healthcare services
* Advanced diagnostic and medical imaging equipment
* Healthcare information systems and data management
* Healthcare workforce training and capacity building
* Medical technology localisation and manufacturing
* Research, innovation and technology transfer
* Artificial intelligence and digital solutions in healthcare delivery.

Mindray's proposal to support digital health transformation and healthcare skills development aligns strongly with South Africa's priorities.

We are particularly interested in exploring opportunities to establish centres of excellence, training facilities and partnerships with South African universities, hospitals and research institutions to strengthen healthcare capabilities and promote knowledge exchange.

We would also welcome discussions around expanding local operations, developing regional service and training centres, and exploring opportunities for medical technology manufacturing, assembly and localisation in South Africa.

As South Africa continues to strengthen its position as a gateway to the African continent, we believe there are significant opportunities for Mindray to utilise South Africa as a strategic base for serving healthcare markets across Africa.

Through the African Continental Free Trade Area, companies investing in South Africa have access to one of the world's fastest-growing markets, creating opportunities for regional expansion and long-term growth.

Government remains committed to supporting investors through policy certainty, investment facilitation and strategic partnerships that accelerate project implementation and unlock new opportunities.

I would therefore like to invite Mindray to participate in the next South Africa Investment Conference, explore the extensive opportunities available through the African Continental Free Trade Area, and work closely with InvestSA and our One Stop Shop mechanisms to facilitate project implementation, support expansion plans and strengthen Mindray's contribution to healthcare transformation across South Africa and the African continent.

We look forward to deepening our partnership with Mindray and working together to improve healthcare outcomes, drive innovation and create lasting value for both our countries.

Thank You, Xie Xie.