President Cyril Ramaphosa (right) with Chinese president Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People, a Chinese government building. (GCIS/Supplied)

• Heads of state from South Africa, the DRC and Mali are leading calls for a One-China policy.
• The DRC is set to sign MoUs with China on economic partnerships, human resources development, customs capacity building, and the media.
• SA and China will elevate their bilateral relationship to an All-round Strategic Cooperative Partnership.

South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mali and numerous other African countries reiterated their support for China’s claim on Taiwan ahead of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which gets under way on Wednesday.

Under the One-China policy, China considers Taiwan to be an inalienable part of the Republic of China.

While Taiwan continues to defend its independence, it is now only formally recognised on the continent by Eswatini, after having 30 embassies across Africa at one point. Other countries retain economic links.

DRC President Felix Tshisekedi, after meeting his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, said he believed Taiwan was part of China.

“I wish to reaffirm the DRC’s unwavering commitment to the One-China policy by recognising that Taiwan is an integral part of Chinese territory,” he said.

The DRC is at the centre of a tussle between the US and China over access to its extractive sector.

Approximately 72% of the DRC’s operational copper and cobalt mines are owned by China, including the second-largest cobalt mine and the world’s fifth-largest copper mine, Tenke Fungurume Mine.

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The US is leveraging its influence to hinder the international expansion of Chinese companies in the same critical minerals sector. 

The US is also involved in the development of the Lobito Corridor, a rail and road network that starts from the DRC into Zambia and Angola – a route for critical minerals.

Tshisekedi also acknowledged China’s support within the UN Security Council.

According to the Chinese government, Xi vowed to “sign several bilateral cooperation documents in areas such as economic partnership for common development, human resources development, customs capacity building, and press”, with the DRC.

President Cyril Ramaphosa also paid a state visit to China two days ahead of the FOCAC.

The two leaders, “agreed to elevate the bilateral relationship to an All-round Strategic Cooperative Partnership in a New Era, underpinned by strong political ties and focused on a prosperous future with balanced trade, and accelerated transformative economic growth,” the Presidency said in a statement.

Among the understandings noted between Ramaphosa and Xi was that “there is but one China in the world; the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China”.

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South Africa supports efforts made by the Chinese government to achieve what it calls national reunification.

Unlike its geopolitical rival, the US, through its US Africa Leaders Summit, China also invited leaders from the coup belt in Africa.

These leaders were suspended from the African Union, the official reason why they were not invited to the US.

Colonel Assimi Goïta, the leader of Mali, also had a meeting with Xi.

The two leaders announced the elevation of the China-Mali relationship to a strategic partnership.

Goïta said like China, his regime did not take kindly to foreign interference in his solidarity with Beijing over Taiwan.

“Both Mali and China respect national sovereignty and independence and oppose interference in other countries’ internal affairs,” he added.

The US does not support Taiwan’s de jure independence through its China policy; however, it does support Taiwan’s membership in relevant international organisations, including the World Trade Organisation, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and the Asian Development Bank’s membership.

The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.