COVID-19 AND SOUTH AFRICA–CHINA ASYMMETRIC RELATIONS

• Published in: World affairs (Washington) Vol. 185; no. 3; pp. 587 - 614
• Main Authors: Akinola, Adeoye O., Tella, Oluwaseun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.09.2022
• Subjects: Africa; Africa–China Relations; BRICS; China's Foreign Policy; Coronavirus; COVID‐19 Diplomacy; COVID‐19 外交; Diplomacia COVID‐19; Economic Policy; Ethnicity and Race; Etnicidad y raza; Health Policy; Política de salud; Política económica; Política exterior de China; Política exterior de Sudáfrica; Relaciones Sudáfrica–China; Relaciones África–China; South Africa's Foreign Policy; South Africa–China Relations; Sustainable Development; África; 中国外交政策; 冠状病毒（COVID‐19）; 南非‐中国关系; 南非外交政策; 卫生政策; 族群性与种族; 经济政策; 金砖国家; 非中关系; 非洲; Economic Policy; 南非外交政策; Sustainable Development; Relaciones África–China; 非洲; Africa–China Relations; 非中关系; 南非-中国关系; Relaciones Sudáfrica–China; Etnicidad y raza; Política exterior de China; South Africa’s Foreign Policy; 族群性与种族; China’s Foreign Policy; Health Policy; Diplomacia COVID-19; COVID-19 Diplomacy; 经济政策; BRICS; 卫生政策; 中国外交政策; Africa; 金砖国家; África; Coronavirus; Política de salud; 冠状病毒（COVID-19）; South Africa–China Relations; Ethnicity and Race; Política exterior de Sudáfrica; Política económica; COVID-19 外交
• ISSN: 0043-8200; 1940-1582
• DOI: 10.1177/00438200221102405

While South Africa–China relations were only formalized in 1998, relations between these states date back to the 1800s. South Africa's quest for sustainable development through partnerships with global powers motivated its close ties with China. The 2015 Cape Town Declaration committed the two countries to improve health facilities and disease control. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic presents an opportunity to rethink this partnership. Drawing on desktop research, this article engages the reality of COVID-19 and explores South Africa–China relations in the context of the pandemic. The emergence of the virus in China, its rapid spread, and the high fatality rate have had devastating repercussions across the world. This article argues that Beijing's response to COVID-19 raises more questions than it answers. The outbreak of the virus in China, its response, and emerging cases of racism and xenophobia against Africans in China also raise concerns about the future of South Africa–China relations.