USTR Greer expresses willingness to consider ‘different treatment’ for South Africa within the African trade initiative

Jamieson Greer, the U.S. Trade Representative, stated on Tuesday that if the United States continues a trade initiative with sub-Saharan Africa that ended in September, he is willing to treat South Africa differently from other African nations.

The Trump administration was amenable to a one-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, Greer said at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing. However, he acknowledged that South Africa was a special circumstance and that it might be excluded from the trade program if Congress forced it.

Greer told the panel, “If you think that we should give South Africa different treatment, I’m open to that.” He also stated that if South Africa wanted the United States to cut its 30% levies on South African commodities, it had to eliminate non-tariff obstacles and tariffs on American goods.