On August 26 I co-chaired the eighth session of the South Africa-Brazil Joint Commission in Pretoria with my counterpart, Brazil’s foreign affairs minister, Mauro Vieira. On both sides senior officials from departments responsible for trade, minerals, energy, defence, science and innovation, tourism and justice met with their counterparts. This fact seems to have been lost on Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA). This wasn’t the first time the department of international relations & co-operation has led a structured bilateral of this nature. It is standard practice across a range of bilateral mechanisms and agreements we have with different countries. In our discussion we covered several aspects of mutual interest in international affairs, development and economic diplomacy. Under my leadership the department has shifted its orientation towards economic diplomacy, recognising that economics plays an increasingly important role in relations among nations today. On this front I work closely with my colleague at the department of trade, industry & competition to advance South Africa’s core economic interests. It is possible that this posture is not yet well understood by certain sections of the business community. The old template for conducting foreign policy or for creating artificial walls between economics and politics in international relations is a thing of the past. Hence, we are increasingly reaching out to the business community to foster a sense of shared purpose in creating economic advantages for South Africa abroad. One of the features of South Africa’s economic diplomacy is to vigorously promote export diversification, including tethering our diplomatic missions abroad to this goal. At its core our economic diplomacy strategy focuses on leveraging international engagement to revitalise our economy through attracting investment, expanding trade, creating jobs, supporting industrialisation, promoting the growth and internationalisation of small and medium enterprises, and opening new frontiers for digital and green innovation. Our job is to use foreign policy as a lever to promote economic growth, create jobs and achieve economic development. It was with this frame of mind that we approached our engagements with Brazil. We discussed agricultural trade, agricultural inputs and agri-tech, aerospace and defence industries, biopharmaceuticals, creative industries, critical mineral beneficiation, energy, science and innovation, youth and women’s empowerment, transport and health. In these areas the emphasis was less about politics and more about cultivating shared economic outcomes. Our two countries are bound by the Southern African Customs Union-Mercosur Preferential Trade Agreement. The goal of this agreement is to lower tariffs and boost trade between our countries. There is more we can achieve by promoting bilateral trade relations with Brazil across different sectors. Admittedly, Brazil is now one of South Africa’s smallest export markets, with exports valued at $293m in 2025, according to data from Trade Map. We are fully aware of the need to address this trade imbalance; we import about $1.5bn in goods from Brazil each year. Undoubtedly, a more balanced trade relationship is essential. The task ahead for us is to increase exports as we deepen our collaboration. We registered this aspiration clearly with our Brazilian counterparts. Our two countries are bound by the Southern African Customs Union-Mercosur Preferential Trade Agreement. The goal of this agreement is to lower tariffs and boost trade between our countries. There is more we can achieve by promoting bilateral trade relations with Brazil across different sectors. The recent outward selling mission to Brazil by 11 South African companies and the South Africa-Brazil business forum held on the sidelines of the joint commission show that both countries are serious about strengthening economic relations and increasing trade between us. These business-to-business meetings are becoming a standard feature of our bilateral engagements. Our recent engagement with Brazil is just one example of the range of strategic points on our economic diplomacy canvas, which covers a much wider international space. The starting point of our economic diplomacy is the African continent. Our trade with fellow African states makes up 45% of our trade book. We understand that Africa’s growth and sustainable development can be supported by directing our energies and resources to continental institutions where we are actively involved, including the AU, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and the Southern African Development Community (Sadc). The export diversification efforts led by the department of trade, industry & competition and other departments complement the economic diplomacy efforts championed by international relations. Advancing trade in Asia, the Middle East, the Americas, Europe, the Pacific and the greater African continent is at the centre of our work. Foreign policy aligned with economic interestsOur foreign policy is aligned with our economic interests, and trade and investment are part of that. This is a message that the business community needs to appreciate. Importantly, the department of international relations & co-operation leads more than 100 missions globally, which serve as platforms for promoting South African businesses and advancing our trade interests worldwide. Of course, politics features prominently in our relationship with a strategic partner like Brazil. Both South Africa and Brazil have had to navigate the choppy waters of uncertainty and caprice, including attempts to use trade as a tool to bend domestic policy and interfere with democracy. But to read our international relations as defined only by political considerations, with little or no regard for economic rationales, is unhelpful. Engagements such as the one I had with my Brazilian counterpart are ultimately aimed at supporting the growth of the South African economy. • Lamola is South Africa’s international relations & co-operation minister.