African experts call for international support for one-China principle

African policy experts have urged the international community to support the one-China principle, terming it as vital for both regional stability and broader global order.

Cavince Adhere, an international relations scholar with a focus on China-Africa cooperation, based in Nairobi, Kenya, described the principle — which recognizes Taiwan as an inalienable part of China — as not merely a diplomatic position but a "cornerstone of China's identity-rooted history".

Adhere said African nations played a pivotal role in passing the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 in 1971, which affirmed the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate representative of China.

"Africa's solidarity helped shape the current international consensus," he said, noting that more than 180 countries uphold the principle today.

Beyond China's sovereignty, Adhere stressed that reunification carries global significance, warning that division in the Taiwan Strait risks instability and external interference, threatening international trade and peace.

"The Strait is a vital artery for global commerce, any conflict there would disrupt supply chains, economies, and peace worldwide," he said.

Adhere also highlighted the economic benefits of reunification, pointing to potential synergies between Taiwan's technological strengths and the mainland's vast industrial capacity.

"A unified China could drive innovation and growth not only in Asia but across Africa, Europe, and beyond," he said.

Aligning with China's broader vision of "a community with a shared future for humanity", Adhere said a unified and peaceful China would be freer to tackle shared global challenges such as climate change, poverty, and sustainable development.

He praised China's major initiatives as evidence of its preference for cooperation over confrontation, while emphasizing that the one-China principle remains a nonnegotiable element of Beijing's foreign policy.

Adhere appealed to all peace-loving nations to support the principle and contribute to a future based on harmony and mutual respect, against the backdrop of the fact that China is the second-largest economy and a veritable anchor of global security and stability.

"Reunification will heal a historical wound, strengthen global stability, and unlock economic potential for the world," he said.

Paul Frimpong, the executive director and senior research fellow of the Africa-China Centre for Policy and Advisory, in Ghana, said history plays a vital role in nation-building, and in China's history there is only one China, with Taiwan being an inalienable part of it.

"Ghana upholds this policy and stresses that history and civilization must be respected," he said. "Peace and stability in China contribute to peace and stability globally, and if unification is achieved peacefully, it will benefit the entire world."

Xn Iraki, an associate professor at the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences, University of Nairobi, said China's reunification should be regarded as a global objective.

"Unity has always been better than division; it does not matter whether from an economic or political perspective," he said.

He said the one-China principle aligns with Africa's long-standing principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"Africa has upheld the principle of sovereignty and territorial integrity, but this should be supplemented by unification — particularly in the economic sphere," he said.