The severance of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Chad was a crushing blow to an already weakened government. But the twists and turns preceding this diplomatic switch point to political maneuverings by the Beijing government -- hardly surprising considering its track record of suppressing Taiwan through political threats and diplomatic blockade.
Chadian President Idriss Deby's letter of apology to President Chen Shui-bian (
The opposition and some media commentators have criticized the government's handling of the incident as slow and incompetent. However, few have talked about the extent of China's naked ambition and its web of political and economic investments in numerous African countries, including Chad, in the past decade, that form part of its sophisticated and unlawful plan to intimidate and subvert Taiwanese influence.
Of course, one could argue that "empathy" and "mercy" have no place in the war for diplomacy and that "force" and "shrewdness" are what count. What horrifies me, however, is the media's reluctance to denounce China's global aggression and ignorance of its threat to international peace. Add in the pan-blue camp's overly optimistic view of China, which conveniently tends to gloss over any atrocity and wrongdoing carried out by Beijing.
China's meddling in African politics can be traced back in history. In the 1960s and 1970s, Beijing was keen on building an ideological bond and solidarity with undeveloped nations to advance Chinese-style communism. As China has developed into another world superpower alongside the US, it has discovered Africa's economic and strategic importance in pursuing global dominance, and has therefore shifted its interests in Africa into more pragmatic pursuits such as trade, investment and energy.
The Chadian affair was an illustration of Beijing's proficient arm-twisting, playing upon the classic ploy of division and manipulation to cause internal strife and disorder within the country. On the one hand, it was a reflection of Beijing's vigorous quest for control of global natural resources, as Chad now extracts 200,000 barrels of crude oil a day, and on the other, it exposed its vicious campaign to diminish and isolate Taiwan internationally. It is vital for us to understand the motivations as well as the political ramifications behind China's escalating interference in the domestic as well as external affairs of African states.
As suggested by Taiwan's foreign affairs spokesman, Michael Lu (呂慶龍), the diplomatic break was largely a result of China's role in Chad's civil war, as Beijing is regarded by many international observers as the prime financial backer and arms supplier to the FUC rebels. This claim is hardly surprising if we consider China's influential position in neighboring Sudan, which has not disguised its support for the Chadian rebellion.
China's cozy relationship with Sudan's brutal Islamic regime, which has perpetrated ethnic genocide in Darfur with an estimated half a million people displaced and killed, has prevented the US, the EU, Japan and other Western democracies from imposing UN sanctions and indicting the persons responsible in an international war crimes tribunal.
The reason is simple. China's state-owned firms have invested billions of dollars and have used Chinese engineering and construction resources on infrastructure for developing oil, gas, mineral and other natural resources in dozens of African countries like Sudan. As the China National Petroleum Corp is now the single largest shareholder in the state-runmcompany that controls every oil field in Sudan, which exports 500,000 barrels exclusively to China each day, Beijing appears more than happy to maintain its valuable position in the world energy market by dealing specifically with these ruthless, repressive totalitarian regimes.
Just like the Sudanese government has escaped international punishment for atrocities committed against its own people because of "protection" by the Chinese government, dictators like Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, despite the US and UN arms embargo, has time and again benefited from his close friendship with Beijing, as steady supplies of Chinese helicopter gunships, fighter aircraft and heavy artillery have kept him in power by continuously terrorizing his people while the nation suffers from a high unemployment rate and chronic food shortages. In return, Mugabe has granted China special status in its illegal trade in natural resources such as diamonds and timber, allowing certain Chinese politicians and military commanders to profit and further fueling these African conflicts.
China's aggressive foreign policy in the African continent highlights the strategic importance that global energy resources play in the new century when demand for oil has greatly surpassed global supply. In its bid to become the predominant force in Africa, China also seeks to challenge the US' global supremacy by imposing its own unique model of economic growth, based on a restricted market system overseen by a disciplined, one-party totalitarian state with full authority, as an example for other African nations to emulate.
In the process of securing exclusive access to African natural resources, Beijing has doubled its efforts to aid and abet oppressive and destitute African dictatorships by legitimizing their misguided policies and praising their development models as suited to individual national conditions.
Many authoritarian African regimes, desperate to invigorate their fraying economies while maintaining a strong grip on political power, have chosen to follow the steps of China and seek its protective wings to fend off international sanctions and punishments. China's involvement has allowed some of the worst regimes in the world to walk away from the atrocities unpunished, while serious human-rights abuses and horrific ethnic cleansing continues in this desolate continent.
It is time for us to realize the grave consequences to Africa as well as to humanity of China's burgeoning influence in its relentless pursuit for world dominance. As far as Taiwan is concerned, rather than purely focusing on the economic prospects and complimenting the rosy investment forecast pictured across the Strait, we have to understand that the recent economic boom in China came with a hefty price tag and at the expense of the African people.
Some may argue that Chinese money does bring progress, and a limited amount of prosperity does come with its investment in certain countries, yet the debate seems to be more of a moral one. By extending its arms to corrupt and brutal African regimes, in countries like Sudan, Zimbabwe, Angola, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, China has lent international legitimacy to these authoritarian rulers. Through its economic support and diplomatic influence, it has also allowed all forms of oppression to persist, thus mercilessly denying the African people opportunities to make a difference and search for alternatives.
The Taiwan-Chad relationship is officially history. But I believe that the real challenge for Taiwan in this diplomatic battlefield is just about to begin. Despite a powerful China, Taiwan has for a long time cultivated its ties in the region, and there is still a lot more we can do to help by bringing medical care and humanitarian aid, which is still desperately needed in a lot of African countries.
As a small country, Taiwan does not have the muscle and resources to play the game of exploitation and manipulation that China does; yet in a continent torn by countless civil wars along with a tragic history of feuding warlords and coups d'etat, Taiwan's invaluable experience of peaceful transformation from an autocratic, one-party state to a free and democratic nation does offer a glimpse of hope for the oppressed, and its legacy is something that the Chinese yuan can never rival.
James Tu
Taipei
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