South Africa avoids European Union for a year on trade summit

South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa. — Bloomberg

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa has spent more than a year frustrating its biggest trade partner and largest foreign investor, the European Union (EU), by failing to respond to requests for a high-level summit, according to people familiar with the situation.

The EU requested South Africa to schedule the so-called EU-South Africa Summit over the past 12 months but hasn’t received a response setting or suggesting a date, said the people who asked not to be identified because a public statement hasn’t been made.