Whereas the United States and the Republic of South Africa have enjoyed strong bilateral relations since 1994; Whereas the holding of elections with universal suffrage in 1994 marked the effective ending of apartheid in South Africa, the codified, State-enforced system of racial segregation and socioeconomic discrimination; Whereas South Africa is the United States largest trade partner in Africa, with $21,000,000,000 of 2-way goods trade in 2021, and in 2012, the countries signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement facilitating 2-way trade; Whereas the United States is the largest source of foreign direct investment in South Africa, valued at over $7,500,000,000 in 2021, and approximately 600 American businesses operate in South Africa; Whereas South Africa’s media landscape has proven resilient to the influence of media entities controlled by the People’s Republic of China (PRC); Whereas South Africa has benefitted from the U.S. Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance program since 2006; Whereas the United States and South African militaries have historically undertaken joint military exercises and enjoyed good relations, including South Africa hosting American troops for Exercise Shared Accord in 2022, the fourth time they have hosted this exercise since 2011, through historic Department of Defense participation in South Africa’s biennial African Aerospace Defense Exhibition, and through the periodic convening of the bilateral U.S.-South Africa Defense Committee; Whereas South Africa declined to participate in the planned Cutlass Express military exercises with the United States in 2023; Whereas South Africa often voted in alignment with the PRC within the United Nations General Assembly in 2022, especially in relation to votes condemning Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine; Whereas South Africa reneged on its initial call for the Russian Federation to immediately withdraw its forces from Ukraine and has actively sought improved relations with Moscow in the last year