Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel and a high-level delegation recently completed a four-day working visit to Shanghai, Nanjing and Beijing, in China, during which they met with government officials, investors and a number of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) and battery manufacturers. China is the world’s leading producer of EVs and batteries and is currently South Africa’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade estimated at $34-billion in 2022.