FOREIGN RELATIONS
ANC outrage over mayor’s Taipei trip just a smoke screen
The Tshwane ANC is desperate to smear the popular, corruption-fighting DA mayor, writes Rob Attwell
Tshwane’s DA mayor, Solly Msimanga, has come under fire for visiting Taipei, Taiwan’s capital city. Tshwane’s ANC caucus described the visit as "treason". Ostensibly, the outrage is because the visit violated the One China principle. However, the ANC’s indignation has more to do with local than international politics. Msimanga is proving to be a popular mayor of the capital city. His efforts to root out corruption and cut down on frivolous spending go down well with voters. The ANC is desperate to find something — anything — with which to undermine him. Hence the assertion that his Taipei visit is evidence of a "conspiracy to undermine Brics". Recognition of the One China principle is a prerequisite for diplomatic relations with China. Even China and Taiwan, in their relations with each other, recognise the One-China principle. They just choose to remain vague about which "China" it refers to. The origins of the China-Taiwan conflict lie in the competition between the Chinese Commu...
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