China and Africa: A Century of Engagement

11. China’s Relations with Southern Africa

11 China’s Relations with Southern Africa Five countries (Zambia, Malawi, Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland) of the ten in southern Africa achieved independence peacefully in the 1960s. Four (Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique, and Angola) underwent wars of national liberation while South Africa experienced considerable violence as it moved from white minority rule to majority black control. Mozambique and Angola became independent in 1975, Zimbabwe in 1980, Namibia in 1990; South Africa formally implemented majority rule in 1994. These experiences in achieving independence or majority rule had a significant impact on China’s relationship with each country. Of the five countries that had a peaceful transition to independence, only Zambia immediately recognized the PRC. The other four recognized Taiwan at or soon after independence, although Botswana switched to Beijing in the mid-1970s and Lesotho in the early 1980s. China strongly supported the liberation movements in the other five countries. Three of the five (Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Namibia) recognized Beijing upon independence. The PRC’s complicated relations with Angola and South Africa delayed their recognition of Beijing. Today nine of the ten countries have diplomatic relations with Beijing. Only the conservative Kingdom of Swaziland maintains ties with Taiwan. The most recent country to switch, Malawi, did so at the end of 2007. Malawi offers a case study as to how China achieves its ‘‘one China’’ goal. Due to its immense oil wealth, Angola became China’s largest trading partner in Africa. China’s most important relationship in southern and throughout Africa, however, is with South Africa, a country that only recognized Beijing in 1998. It involves highly developed interaction at economic, political, military, social, educational, cultural, and scientific levels. South 324 Chapter 11 Africa is China’s second largest trading partner in Africa, but unlike Angola, with which China has a large trade deficit, Beijing had a large surplus with Pretoria until 2010. Except for Swaziland, China has solid relations with all countries in the region. Opposition to the Robert Mugabe government in Zimbabwe has presented Beijing with some challenges, although they dissipated with the formation in 2009 of a coalition government that included the principal opposition politician as prime minister. China’s government-togovernment relations in the region range from good to excellent. On the other hand, Beijing faces increasing criticism from African small traders, local manufacturers, and civil society organizations on issues such as flooding markets with cheap Chinese goods, large numbers of Chinese traders and laborers, noncompliance with local labor and safety laws, and insufficient attention to environmental standards. Several governments are concerned about trade deficits. Zambia Zambia achieved independence in 1964 through a constitutional process rather than revolution. Consequently, there were relatively few contacts between Zambian leaders and China prior to independence, although Beijing did extend early in 1964 a $500,000 grant.1 Recognizing the importance of Zambia’s strategic location in southern Africa and the influence of its first president, Kenneth Kaunda, China made a special effort to cultivate this mineral-rich country. Soon after independence, Zambia and China established diplomatic relations. Zambia never wavered in its support for Beijing, although Kaunda was initially wary of China’s communism and had to be persuaded by Tanzania’s President Nyerere that a close relationship was in Zambia’s best interest. In 1966, Zambia’s vice president signed a cultural agreement in Beijing. China offered a $7 million loan in 1967 followed by a $17 million interest-free loan during a visit to Beijing by Kaunda. By the end of 1967, China, Tanzania, and Zambia agreed to build Beijing’s signature aid project in Africa, the Tanzania-Zambia railway. The two countries subsequently signed protocols for road construction and a short-wave radio transmitting station, which encountered delays and concerns about equipment quality. China also helped Zambia establish training bases for fighters supporting southern African independence movements.2 Relations with Southern Africa 325 Zambia’s vice president visited Beijing in 1972. China granted Zambia $10 million in 1973 to help overcome transport problems following the closure of Zambia’s frontier with white-ruled Rhodesia. Kaunda revisited Beijing in 1974, when he signed a $20 million loan for road construction and agricultural projects and encouraged China’s support for liberation groups in neighboring Angola.3 In 1978, China began admitting Zambian students on scholarship and sending medical teams to Zambia. China’s vice premier visited Zambia in 1979, by which time China had extended $230 million...