Which lodestar to follow? South African public opinion on China and other international partners

Floor Keuleers

doi:10.7552/0-3-175

Abstract

South Africa’s international orientation is said to be shifting, with the post-1994 focus on democracy and human rights increasingly complemented or even replaced by pragmatic relations with fellow BRICS countries. This article asks how ordinary South Africans perceive the different international partners their country might turn to, with a specific focus on China. It analyses the 2015 wave of the Afrobarometer Survey, which uses nationally representative samples to grasp the views of citizens across the continent. The article is structured around three questions. 1) How is China’s engagement with South Africa seen by South Africans? 2) How do South African evaluations of China measure up to their views of other development partners, both ‘old’ and ‘new’? 3) And how does this compare to views in other African countries? The article also brings South Africa’s internal dynamics into the equation, looking at patterns of age, race, and political affiliation.

Highlights

South Africa’s approach to foreign policy is said to be in flux, reflecting the broader dynamics of change in Africa’s international relations
The first focuses on the comparison between public opinion in South Africa on the one hand and in the other African countries surveyed on the other
Before going into how South Africans see China and other international partners, it is useful to look at the overall importance that is accorded to China

Summary

Introduction

South Africa’s approach to foreign policy is said to be in flux, reflecting the broader dynamics of change in Africa’s international relations. This survey focused on public attitudes regarding three core questions: what should be the goals of South African foreign policy, what should South Africa’s international role look like, and who should be the key allies and role models of the country. This article seeks to further build upon these existing studies of public opinion regarding foreign policy, by zooming in on the specific issue of China as a new partner for the country.

Results

Conclusion