The Taiwanese government is wooing MPs with free trips=20 in an attempt to retain a good relationship with South=20 Africa, writes Gaye Davis
Scores of parliamentarians are believed to have enjoyed=20 all-expenses paid trips to Taiwan as part of a massive=20 campaign by that government to ensure its relationship=20 with South Africa is not downgraded in favour of=20 recognition of China.
Defence Minister Joe Modise, deputy minister of arts,=20 science and technology Winnie Mandela, Minister of=20 Public Works Jeff Hadebe and Eastern Transvaal premier=20 Matthews Phosa are among those known to have been feted=20 by the Taiwanese government. It was announced this week=20 that Taiwan was providing R141-million to fund Modise’s=20 Service Brigade training centre at Dunnottar.
Raymond Suttner, chairman of parliament’s foreign=20 affairs committee, could not confirm the number of MPs=20 who had visited Taiwan but said he was aware the=20 Taiwanese had been involved in “a big sell” which=20 included paid trips and gifts for parliamentarians. He=20 had not visited Taiwan.
It is understood the Taiwanese government is pinning=20 its hopes on South Africa recognising both countries,=20 in the belief that President Nelson Mandela’s=20 international stature would make a breakthrough=20 possible. This would open the way for other countries,=20 including the United States, France and Germany, to=20 follow suit.
Suttner said the question of diplomatic recognition of=20 China — on the foreign affairs agenda since the=20 installation of the government of national unity, which=20 inherited the old regime’s formal links with Taiwan –=20 should be resolved “as soon as possible”.
While both countries should be seen as “entities with=20 whom we have important relations”, resolving the matter=20 could only be through recognising China and maintaining=20 a relationship with Taiwan on a largely economic basis,=20 Suttner said. This was the route taken by most=20 countries, as China refused to allow dual recognition.
“It would be a coup for Taiwan if it succeeded in=20 getting dual recognition or continued recognition.=20 Nelson Mandela has unique status and legitimacy and=20 could sway a lot of countries. But only 29 countries=20 recognise Taiwan and they are mostly small.”
Professor Willie Breytenbach, head of the department of=20 political science at the University of Stellenbosch,=20 said nothing in international law prevented dual=20 recognition. He believed South Africa might be able to=20 succeed where other countries — such as Burkina Faso,=20 Granada and Nicaragua, which had tried applying dual=20 recognition in the past — had failed.
Instead of severing relations with Taiwan, South=20 Africa’s sixth largest trade partner and a major=20 investor in the country, the government should “lead=20 the way out of the morass” in the hopes that other=20 countries followed. “If there’s one leader who could=20 pull it off it is Nelson Mandela,” he said.
But Dr Greg Mills of the Institute for International=20 Affairs said there was little option but for South=20 Africa to cut formal ties with Taiwan — without=20 damaging economic relations — and to recognise China.
`Taiwan is dangling enticing carrots — its offer last=20 year to buy Mossgas was an example — and is lobbying=20 very hard.
“But China has a population of 1,2-billion as opposed=20 to Taiwan’s 20-million or so and is a massively=20 expanding economy. It is also a permanent member of the=20 United Nations’ security council,” Mills said.
About 70 percent of South Africa’s trade with China was=20 through Hong Kong, with whom South Africa enjoys most=20 favoured nation trading status. Tariff agreements would=20 come up for review ahead of Hong Kong being handed over=20 to China in 1997, Mills said. Further delays in taking=20 a decision could have a bearing on this.
Foreign Affairs minister Alfred Nzo said in Tokyo this=20 week links with Beijing would be established “within=20 the year”. Moving quickly, the Department of Foreign=20 Affairs issued a statement saying this did not imply=20 links with Taiwan would be severed. It said South=20 Africa wanted “cordial and friendly” relations with=20 both and that President Mandela supported the leaders=20 of both China and Taiwan in their efforts to resolve=20 the China question.
Mills said these “ambiguous statements” indicated=20 indecision within the government — that it was playing=20 for time in the hope that the problem resolved itself=20 before a decision became necessary.
Said Suttner: “The government has been taking a very=20 long time over taking a decision but it has now got to=20 a stage where it must do so.”
* According to a monthly abstract of foreign trade=20 statistics released by the Commissioner of Customs and=20 Excise, total trade with Taiwan in 1993 was to the=20 value of R4,2-billion while that with China was R1,6- billion. Figures for 1994 were not available.