China and Taiwan in South Africa: Remembering History

The Conversation posted on 24 July 2018 an article titled "A Tale of Two Chinas: The Story of South Africa's Switch from Taipei to Beijing" by Christopher Williams, South African Institute for International Affairs.

Twenty years ago, after two and a half years of attempting dual recognition of both Taipei and Beijing, Nelson Mandela in 1998 switched South Africa's diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China. At the time, Taiwan was South Africa's sixth largest trading partner and had donated $10 million to Mandela's African National Congress (ANC). Today, China is South Africa's largest trading partner and the Communist Party of China has close ties with the ANC. Taipei still has a liaison office in South Africa.

Nigeria, China, and Taiwan's Trade Office

Abdul-Gafar Tobi Oshodi, University of Leuven, Belgium, recently posted a report titled "Nigeria-Taiwan Row: Understanding China's Influence in Africa."

In 2017, Nigeria, under pressure from China, ordered Taiwan to relocate its trade mission from the political capital of Abuja to the commercial capital of Lagos. It subsequently asked the director of the trade mission to leave Nigeria. Nigeria took this action in compliance with China's definition of the One China policy.

Podcast on China-Africa Relations

I did a 50 minute interview aired on 12 March 2015 by KSFR in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on China and Africa with "Here and There with Dave Marash."  The interview is a wide ranging discussion of China-Africa relations.

South African Relations with China and Taiwan

The Centre for Chinese Studies (CCS) at Stellenbosch University published in February 2014 an extensive study titled "South African Relations with China and Taiwan: Economic Realism and the 'One-China' Doctrine" by Sven Grimm, Yejoo Kim, Ross Anthony, Robert Attwell and Xin Xiao. 

This study covers the history of South Africa's relations with Taiwan and China, mutual political and economic interests, the role of Hong Kong, the evolution of relations from Taipei to Beijing, and South Africa's current economic relationship with China and Taiwan. 

Gambia and the "One China" Policy

The decision in November by Gambia's president to end diplomatic recognition of Taiwan has actually complicated relations between Beijing and Taipei as both capitals have since 2008 had an informal truce on the question of diplomatic recognition.  Sven Grimm and Yejoo Kim at the Centre for Chinese Studies at Stellenbosch University commented on this dilemma in a 18 November 2013 piece titled "The Gambia Defecting from Taiwan - Misunderstanding the 'One China' Policy?"  They conclude that the bidding war between Beijing and Taipei to win diplomatic recognition by offering aid funding is over, a situation which Gambia may not understand.