A photo taken on February 28, 2022 shows the US Capitol building, seen through a barrier fence, in Washington, DC, the United States. PHOTO XINHUA African analysts condemned the visit to Taiwan by top US lawmaker Nancy Pelosi last week, saying her actions were aimed at destabilizing the region and undermined efforts for global peace.
David Monyae, the director of the Center for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg, said the visit by the Speaker of the US House of Representatives has escalated tensions between the United States and China. The US is reneging on its promise to respect the one-China policy, he said.
Monyae said the visit is problematic because it is provocative and unnecessary. It shows some hegemonic arrogance on the part of the US. It is intended to undermine the one-China principle, and China's territorial integrity and sovereignty. He said that any destabilization that occurs in the region would hurt the economies of Africa because of African countries' strong trading ties with China.
Monyae said Pelosi's visit to the island was intended to influence more countries to defy the one-China policy. African countries should not accept the US actions to divide China, he said.
Monyae said the Sino-US tensions could be resolved through peaceful means and dialogue, but in order for this to happen, the US must stick to its word.
China has imposed sanctions on Pelosi and members of her immediate family, due to the provocation. Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on August 2. China also suspended the dialogue with the US in some channels relating to military relations, climate change and other matters.
Alex Mashilo, a member of the South African Communist Party, said Pelosi's visit was well calculated to provoke China. The US has provoked a conflict in Ukraine, and he would like to see the same happen in Taiwan.
The main target of provocation is China. Nancy is an integral part of the imperialist regime of the US. It's an attack on China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and the US must take full responsibility for their actions, he said.
Pelosi visiting Taiwan shows that the US is colluding with some separatist forces to divide China, Mashilo said. China has the right to exercise its territorial integrity and sovereignty. China is a powerful country and has a right to defend itself. We do not want a war and we do not want to see that part of the world become destabilized. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. Mashilo called for the international community to condemn the US actions.
He said that the US is the aggressor in these situations because of the strains between China and the US. Mashilo said if the US stops interfering in the internal affairs of China, relations between the two nations can improve.
Dennis Munene, the executive director of the China-Africa Center at the Africa Policy Institute, said the global community must condemn Pelosi's visit, given the risk that it could lead to the return of Cold War geopolitics.
The world is facing a lot of challenges due to the socioeconomic impacts of COVID 19 and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He said that we don't need any other instability. Peace and development are inextricably linked and must be protected at all cost. The scholar said that Africans must speak with one voice and condemn the actions of those who want to destabilize the world. Africa recognizes that Taiwan is an intangible part of China's territory, and any issue within the Taiwan Straits is purely an internal affair of China, Munene said.