China’s Party Training Programs in South Africa: A Quest for Political Alignment

Abstract

South Africa’s contemporary political relations with China shows a resemblance in political thinking and beliefs that forms the basis for solidarity and draws the two countries closer on ideological grounds. The literature points out that when states shares similar characteristics, certain hypotheses exists that can provide an analytical explanation of alignment formation. The ideological push by China aims to promote the political like-mindedness of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and African National Congress (ANC) and manifests in the launching of party training programs. Socialism with Chinese characteristics forms the core of the training programs, which is used to strengthen party structures, advance solidarity and maintain official party-to-party contact. Communication with an ANC party official provide a first-hand account of the beliefs of the current South African president and also what the stance of the South African Communist party (SACP) is. A major difference is that the ANC leader regards the Chinese way of governance as important, while the SACP focus on solidifying party structures. In light of this, the impact party training programs can have in testing the alignment hypotheses is examined in the paper. The findings reflect on the similar traits both parties share and the significance of the alignment to strengthen the political ideological relationship.