One Week Later, Burundi Shows the Statement That It Published in Support of China’s Controversial New Election Law in Hong Kong

Burundi’s official press agency published a flurry of tweets today in both English and French that provide new details on a statement that the government released one week ago in support of China’s controversial new election law in Hong Kong.

Although the statement was officially published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was signed by Foreign Minister Zechiel Nibigira in Bujumbura, the text is almost identical (to the letter) to language that the Chinese government uses to defend its policies in Hong Kong and in other territorial issues along its periphery.

It doesn’t appear that either the Burundian Foreign Ministry or the Chinese embassy is trying to conceal the fact that the statement was actually drafted by the Chinese. Several of the tweets posted by the official ABP news agency feature photos of Wang Yuan, chargé d’affaires at the Chinese embassy, and quotes of her explaining the rationale behind the new Chinese electoral law in Hong Kong echo the content of the March 11 statement exactly.

Why is the Burundi Statement on Hong Kong Important?

  • ACCEPTANCE OF CHINESE FOREIGN POLICY NORMS: The Burundian government’s public endorsement of Chinese rhetoric related to territorial integrity, non-interference, and Chinese interpretations of sovereignty all point to wider acceptance of these norms among a growing number of developing countries around the world.
  • COALITION BUILDING: China has been very effective at persuading/cajoling countries in the Global South to not join the U.S.-European campaign to criticize Beijing’s policies in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and Tibet among other territorial issues. Without sufficient support from developing countries, and there’s virtually none at this point, it will be very difficult for the U.S. and Europe to build a large enough coalition to effectively pressure China.

The publication of the statement and the subsequent tweets by the ABP news agency do not reveal any clues as to why Burundi would so enthusiastically embrace a position with little connection to a core national interest. For a country that doesn’t do a lot of trade and investment with China, it’s not clear as to what Burundi will get in return for such a public display of support.

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The post One Week Later, Burundi Shows the Statement That It Published in Support of China’s Controversial New Election Law in Hong Kong appeared first on The China Africa Project.



source https://chinaafricaproject.com/2021/03/18/one-week-later-burundi-shows-the-statement-that-it-published-in-support-of-chinas-controversial-new-election-law-in-hong-kong/

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