A 'willing accomplice'? Evaluating South Africa's response to China's positions on international human rights

According to the Economist, South Africa's loyalty to China has made the former's foreign policy 'clueless and immoral'. This article examines the extent and solidity of South Africa's support for China's attempt to undermine the international human rights system. It do...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The South African journal of international affairs 2024-04, Vol.31 (2), p.191-214
Main Author: Jordaan, Eduard
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accomplices
China
Foreign policy
Human rights
Loyalty
South Africa
United Nations human rights council
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Summary:According to the Economist, South Africa's loyalty to China has made the former's foreign policy 'clueless and immoral'. This article examines the extent and solidity of South Africa's support for China's attempt to undermine the international human rights system. It does so by evaluating South Africa's responses to China's positions on seventeen issue areas of the UN Human Rights Council's work. More specifically, the article assesses South Africa's actions in relation to 132 Chinese-backed attempts to amend council resolutions in an anti-human rights direction. The evidence suggests that South Africa has been a willing accomplice in China's effort to weaken international human rights.
ISSN:1022-0461
1938-0275
DOI:10.1080/10220461.2024.2387151