Written by Sabella O. Abidde.
Image credit: 05.03 總統見證《中華民國(臺灣)政府與史瓦帝尼王國政府關務互助協定》簽署儀式及簽署聯合公報 by 總統府/ Flickr, license: CC BY 4.0.
In the modern era, the Republic of China (ROC/Taiwan) was the first of the two Chinas to establish diplomatic relations with an African country, doing so with Apartheid South Africa in 1949. In the decades that followed, Taiwan’s role and importance on the continent grew; among other things, it established diplomatic relations with many more states and institutions, provided medical and technical assistance, and offered agricultural expertise through “Operation Vanguard,” which ran from 1961 to 1971. Other assistance and benevolence followed.
However, by 1971 – after the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, which recognised the People’s Republic of China (PRC/China) as the “only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations” and expelled ‘the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek’ – Taiwan’s power, influence, and dominance on the continent began to wane. By the second decade of the twenty-first century, only Eswatini recognised Taiwan as a nation-state. The other, Somaliland, is itself a contested state.
For more than fifty years, China aggressively pursued a three-pronged diplomatic campaign against Taiwan. First, capitalising on UN Resolution 2758, it ensured that the majority of UN member states derecognised Taiwan as a nation-state; second, it aggressively convinced member states to adhere to the “One China Policy” and “One China Principle”; and third, using its growing economic and political leverage, it effectively opposed Taiwan’s participation in UN-related and UN-affiliated governmental and non-governmental organisations.
Taipei could have mounted an effective defence against Beijing’s political and diplomatic attacks, but President Jimmy Carter’s administration switched sides in 1979, reversing Taiwan’s diplomatic fortune and gradually isolating it on the international stage. In the intervening years, Washington’s Strategic Ambiguity has not helped matters. What would have helped, and what is truly needed, is an unambiguous, deliberate policy to support and ensure Taiwan’s survival and prosperity.
Beyond a formal Defence Treaty, a policy that encouraged other UN member states to formally recognise Taiwan as a separate, autonomous, and independent state, not part of or a province of China, would have been the logical, reasonable, and practical step. Essentially, the US should have encouraged the UN to reverse Resolution 2758; and the US itself should have reversed its foreign policy toward Taiwan. A Two China Policy would have been, and still is, the right policy to follow.
The Essentiality of Taiwan
Nowhere in the world is China as dominant, ubiquitous, and all-powerful as it is in Africa. Indeed, China’s power and influence surpass those of past colonial powers on the continent. But it’s hard to tell whether fear, respect, or admiration drives this. Even so, one thing is clear: dissatisfaction with China runs deep across the continent. In recent years, verifiable pockets of protest and vehement public complaints against China have grown. Many groups and individuals are protesting China. In reality, and in abstract terms, China seems unstoppable, but it can be slowed and challenged.
Even so, neither I nor anyone I know is calling for China to be dislodged from the continent. No! As long as it follows domestic and international laws and adheres to ethical business practices, it is welcome on the continent. The same goes for all foreign countries and companies doing business on the continent. Overall, China has been good for Africa and good to Africa. That’s the reality. Another reality is that Taiwan has also been good for the continent for many decades. The third reality is that Africa is big enough to accommodate the ROC and the PRC.
Even amid diplomatic isolation, Taiwan has proven itself a friend to states and societies across the African continent through effective economic diplomacy. For many years, Taiwan has provided assistance through the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (Taiwan-ICDF) and the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA). The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO), also known as the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), plays a crucial role.
As one of the world’s most economically developed and technologically advanced countries, Taiwan offers African governments significant opportunities through bilateral and multilateral engagements. As one of the most robust and enduring democracies, Taiwan can help African governments navigate leadership and governance issues safely and fruitfully. As a country that transitioned from agrarianism to an Asian Tiger, Taiwan can help Africa address issues of modernity, growth, development, peace, and prosperity. Taiwan is not just about loans and rudimentary development tools; it is sincerely concerned with the totality and essence of growth and development. This is one reason African governments should embrace Taiwan.
What African Governments Should Know
European colonialism in Africa began in the 15th century and lasted until the late 19th century. Political independence came through negotiation, armed struggle/or a combination of both. The human cost of nationalism was enormous, as many of its leaders were killed, imprisoned, or exiled. Essentially, Africans know what it means to be free, self-governing, and to have a sovereign state. Since the 1960s, many African governments have supported independence-seeking people and territories worldwide. Palestine is a case in point. So why should Taiwan be any different?
Historically, Taiwan was a distinct geographical entity inhabited by about seventeen indigenous groups, with a history dating back at least 25,000 to 30,000 years. They were never Chinese. The Dutch and the Spaniards came and went; however, the Japanese “colonised” the Island. In fact, the Japanese influence can still be seen and felt on the Island today, but they are not claiming that they “owned” Taiwan. And modern China, which never ruled Taiwan, is claiming ownership? How and when did Taiwan become a province of ancient or modern China? And why have African governments come to accept China’s claim that it owns Taiwan?
The fraud and the misreading of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 should not justify awarding Taiwan to China. Taiwan has its own government, globally recognised passports, a functioning security and military apparatus, a robust economy, a democratic system of government, and a government more capable than most governments worldwide. China’s claim should not be the basis for isolating Taiwan.
China swallowed at least three territories in its vicinity. But let’s stick with one here and now: Tibet! Today, much of the world has forgotten that Tibet was an independent territory until China encroached and annexed it in 1951. When would the encroachment and annexation stop? Should Taiwan now be annexed in the same way? What would China lose if Taiwan became a member of the United Nations? What would it lose if Taiwan were allowed into the community of nations?
African governments should know that modern China, not Ancient China, was proclaimed on October 1, 1949, and celebrated its seventy-seventh (77th) National Day early this year. Taiwan, by contrast, was proclaimed on January 1, 1912, and recently marked its 115th anniversary as a sovereign state. What we have here is that while both Chinas have roots in glorious ancient China, they have taken different paths since the informal end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949.
African scholars, public intellectuals, journalists, and other enlightened groups should not allow themselves to be led into thinking or believing that Taiwan is a province of China. It was not; it is not. Their aims and aspirations differ significantly. The Taiwanese should determine their own future; China should not.
Taiwan Is a Country
The PRC has come a long way, a very long way, thanks to courageous, brilliant, astute, and visionary leaders. Collectively, they have made the world a better place for many people and many nations. They deserve credit. But we must not overlook their harsh and disrespectful treatment of Taiwan and its leaders and institutions. For more than five decades, they have obstructed and hampered the aims and aspirations of people who seek nothing but sovereign statehood and membership in the United Nations. Taiwanese leaders are also courageous, brilliant, astute, and visionary, and continue to make the world better every passing day.
African governments ought to remember that long before the average African – at least those over the age of forty – knew where China was, they knew and were familiar with Taiwan. They knew Taiwan first; they knew Taiwan as a sovereign state; they knew Taiwan as a benevolent country. No one should dictate to Africans in Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Malawi, the Gambia, Uganda, and all the places in between how to refer to Taiwan, or whether Taiwan should be allowed free rein on the African continent. Taiwan is a country!
Most Africans and African governments recognised Taiwan decades before they cared about China. The point is not that we should derecognise China. No. The argument is simply that African governments and institutions should also recognise Taiwan. Re-recognise Taiwan! So, instead of a One China Policy, we call for a Two China Policy. Africa is big enough to accommodate Taipei and Beijing and embrace both. China is not the only country in the Taiwan Strait. There is China, and there is Taiwan. African governments’ embrace of it is overdue, and so is its entry onto the international stage. Let Taiwan into the UN, and the world will be amazed at what it can do for humanity.
Sabella Abidde, a Nigerian-born US scholar and public intellectual, is a professor of political science at Alabama State University, Montgomery. He was a 2023 MOFA Taiwan Fellow and the editor/co-editor of more than eight books on Africa-China-Taiwan Relations and US foreign policy toward Taiwan and China. He can be reached at Sabidde@yahoo.com
This article was published as part of the special issue on Africa-Taiwan Connection.