Southern Africa Refuses Chinese Arms
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman has declared that a recent shipment of arms from China to Zimbabwe is completely unrelated to the current post-election tension in the country and is part of “perfectly normal trade in military goods between China and Zimbabwe.” But this hasn’t stopped the 300,000 member South African Transport and Allied Workers Union from refusing to unload the shipment.
The South African workers refusal to accept the arms shipment has been publically echoed by the governments of Angola, Mozambique, Namibia and Tanzania with their refusal to accept the arms and ship them overland to Zimbabwe. The U.S. has voiced its support of these countries on the matter and urged the Chinese government to recall the shipment. Although the South African government itself has not endorsed the refusal of the weapons, South African citizen action coupled with the support of neighboring countries has essentially created an informal embargo of the Chinese weapons. These actions contrast sharply with President Thabo Mbeki’s policy of quiet diplomacy, and refusal to deem Zimbabwe's current political and economic woes a "crisis."
I think this story is an incredibly powerful demonstration of the power individuals and governments have when they work together to take a stand on an issue.
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an "informal" arms embargo
It looks as if the "informal embargo" has turned into something with a bit more substance as Britain backs the U.S. in a call for a formal Zimbabwean arms embargo. The EU already has an official embargo of weapons to Zimbabwe (part of sanctions placed in 2002) and many are urging Washington for stronger actions to support the embargo. And it appears China is hearing the international sentiment loud and clear as it has officially recalled the weapons that were refused by South African workers and neighboring ports.
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