Dalai Lama cancels South Africa trip. Did China trade ties get in the way?
Tibet鈥檚 spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama 鈥� who won a Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent political and spiritual guidance of the Tibetan people from his government in exile 鈥� has canceled a trip to South Africa, saying the South African government didn鈥檛 issue him a visa.
The Dalai Lama had been invited by fellow Nobel laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu to attend Mr. Tutu鈥檚 80th birthday celebrations, but the South African government failed to issue him a visa after several weeks of delays. The cancellation is seen by political observers as a sharp embarrassment for the South African government, which refused to issue a visa to the Dalai Lama last year.
Steven Friedman, a political analyst and director of the University of Johannesburg鈥檚 Center for the Study of Democracy, says that South Africa鈥檚 delay in issuing a visa was part of the government鈥檚 growing desire to cultivate relations with China, which has controlled Tibet since invading that country in 1959.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a source of international embarrassment,鈥� says Mr. Friedman. 鈥淪outh Africa identifies itself more as a partner of BRICS鈥� 鈥� the grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and now South Africa 鈥� 鈥渂ut that is now being taken to absurd levels, and they鈥檙e behaving as if being a member of BRICS means you have to do what other members of BRICS tell you. I don鈥檛 think that idea would occur to Russia or China, but somehow it鈥檚 what we鈥檙e doing.鈥�
China: South Africa's largest trading partner
China recently overtook the US and Britain as South Africa鈥檚 largest trading partner, and in a trade visit last week led by South African deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe, China announced a further $2.5 billion investment plan in South Africa鈥檚 minerals market, including refineries that would create thousands of new jobs in South Africa.
South Africa didn't actually deny the Dalai Lama a visa this time, although it did do so ahead of the 2010 World Cup. But its bureaucratic delays had the same effect. From New Delhi, the Dalai Lama鈥檚 office issued a terse statement that the Dalai Lama would be forced to cancel his trip.
"His Holiness was to depart for South Africa on October 6, 2011 but visas have not been granted yet," the Dalai Lama鈥檚 office said. "We are, therefore, now convinced that for whatever reason or reasons, the South African government finds it inconvenient to issue visa to His Holiness the Dalai Lama."
A disappointment for rights activists
The Dalai Lama鈥檚 cancellation came as a disappointment to many South African human rights advocates and even to members of South Africa鈥檚 own ruling 鈥渢ripartite鈥� government, which comprises the African National Congress, the South African Communist Party, and the Congress of South African Trade Unions.
鈥淓ven though China is our biggest trading partner, ,鈥� said Tony Ehrenreich, COSATU鈥檚 leader in Cape Town, quoted in the Independent newspaper last night.
Desmond Tutu calls the situation 'disgraceful'
Archbishop Tutu called the South African government鈥檚 treatment of the Dalai Lama 鈥渄isgraceful,鈥� and the University of Witwatersrand 鈥� which had invited the Dalai Lama to speak during his visit 鈥� issued a statement on Tuesday expressing its "profound dismay at the South African government for silencing the voice of His Holiness the Dalai Lama."
As embarrassing as this current news is, Friedman says it is not an indication that South African foreign policy is on a rapid decline.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been making inappropriate foreign policy decisions for years,鈥� laughs Friedman. 鈥淯nder [former President Thabo Mbeki], we voted to support the Burmese junta, the worst government there is, for goodness sake, so it鈥檚 not a situation where suddenly a clearly thought-out foreign policy has been decided.鈥�
