Rent-seeking elites versus the disempowered : a case study on the impact of divergent interests on foreign policy in São Tomé and Príncipe

Abstract

This paper addresses the divergence between São Toméan civil society (or most parts of it) and the political elite (generally rent-seekers) on the shift in São Tomé and Príncipe’s foreign policy from Taiwan (the (Republic of China) to China (People’s Republic of China). The São Tomé and Príncipe-Taiwan cooperation, which covered social projects on education, health (e.g., the Malaria Control Project), agricultural production and water supply, etc., was seen positively by a sizeable portion of São Tomé and Príncipe’s civil society. In contrast, the country’s collaboration with Beijing, which is focused on large enclave projects, such as oil infrastructures, ports and airports, is part of the Belt and Road Initiative, and driven by geopolitical considerations. We argue that this shift in foreign policy was mostly intended to create more opportunities for embezzlement and corruption to benefit the political elites and rent-seekers, while undermining any cooperation that benefitted the neediest populations. Field work with interviews and data research was conducted to confirm the hypothesis. The findings – thus far – corroborate the main assumption.