Kenya Deports Taiwan Attendees at International Conference

 Aljazeera published on 17 June 2026 an article titled "Taiwan Accuse Kenya of Deporting Conference Delegates on China's Behalf."

Taiwan accused Kenya of deporting two of its nationals who planned to attend a global oceans conference in Mombasa and blamed Beijing for pressuring Kenya to take this action.  Kenya defended its decision by stating that it recognizes only one China.   

Taiwan President's Secret Flight to Eswatini

 The New York Times published on 14 May 2026 an article titled "Inside the Secret Mission to Fly Taiwan's President to Africa" by Chris Buckley and Amy Chang Chien.  

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te's first attempt to visit Eswatini, the only African country that recognizes Taipei, was aborted when Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar at the last-minute revoked permission to overfly their airspace.  This account details how Lai Ching-te managed subsequently to circumvent these denials by flying secretly on the royal jet that brought Eswatini's deputy prime minister to Taiwan for a visit.  

Somaliland/Israel/Taiwan vs China

 The University of Nottingham Taiwan Research Hub's Taiwan Insight published on 23 February 2026 a commentary titled "Taiwan's Diplomatic Bridge: Taiwan-Somaliland-Israel vs China in the Horn of Africa" by Faisal Abdirashid Adam. 

Taiwan, which established a liaison office in Somaliland in 2020, has embraced Israel's diplomatic recognition of Somaliland, framing it as a major step forward for the emerging "democratic triangle" of Taiwan, Israel, and Somaliland, which now positions itself as a powerful new alliance for trilateral cooperation in technology, agriculture, and Red Sea security.  

A Common African Approach to China

 South Africa's Institute for Security Studies published in February 2024 a study titled "Developing a Common African Approach to China in a Divided World" by Mandira Bagwandeen, Stellenbosch University.

In developing a common approach, the African Union can lead on political, social, environmental, and security issues and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) on trade and economic development.  A coordination and research unit consisting of the AU Commission and AfCFTA Secretariat representatives could lead deliberations.  An African network of advisory groups should be established to provide strategic foresight and analysis to guide a common African approach towards China.

Comment: In comparing Chinese and American interaction with Africa, the author has largely bought into Beijing's win-win propaganda while she remains highly critical of Washington's engagement with the continent.

Ethiopia-Somaliland Deal Forces Ethiopia to Reaffirm Its One China Policy

 The Addis Standard published on 15 January 2024 an article titled "News: Ambassador Meles Alem Reaffirms Ethiopia's Commitment to One-China Policy."

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Ethiopia and Somaliland concerning possible recognition of Somaliland as an independent country has apparently raised concerns in Beijing.  Ethiopia acknowledges that the MOU "includes provisions for the Ethiopian government to conduct an in-depth assessment towards taking a position regarding the efforts of Somaliland to gain international recognition."  The issue is further complicated because in 2020 Taiwan opened a "representative office" in Hargeisa, a development opposed by Beijing.  

Comment:  The timing of this reaffirmation by Addis Ababa of its support for the "One China Policy" appears to be driven by Beijing, not by Addis Ababa or Hargeisa.  The Ethiopia-Somaliland deal has no direct relationship to China or Taiwan. Nothing else has occurred recently in the China-Ethiopia relationship to inspire such a reaffirmation.   

Fifty Years of Nigeria-China Relations

 The Conversation published on 13 April 2021 an analysis titled "Fifty Years, Five Problems - and How Nigeria Can Work with China in Future" by Abdul-Gafar Tobi Oshodi, Lagos State University, and Ufo Okeke Uzodike, Durban University of Technology.

The authors conclude that 50 years of Nigeria-China relations has been a bitter-sweet mixture.  China can continue to play an important role in Nigeria's development but Abuja must urgently address the negative side of the relationship.  

Africa and Hong Kong: A New Battleground for Supporting China?

Africa Times published on 6 October 2019 an article titled "Hong Kong, Africa and the One China Policy."

The Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement last week on the situation in Hong Kong that included the statement: "Hong Kong's affairs are China's domestic affairs." Ministerial level personnel from Liberia, Malawi, and Zimbabwe have also gone out of their way in recent weeks to reaffirm their support for the One China policy. The Ugandan statement is surprising in its support of Beijing's approach to Hong Kong and may portend a campaign to encourage additional statements from African governments.

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.