China and Angola: a strategic partnership? 1 Sofia Fernandes China and the liberation movements in Angola The involvement of China in Angola in the 20th century dates back to the beginning of the pro-independence struggle started in 1961. 1 At first China tried to support the Marxist-inspired Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (MPLA), but disagreements within the movement resulted in its express pro-Soviet alignment (Schneidman, 2007). Considering the anti- Soviet character of China’s foreign policy in t he African continent, Chinese leaders leaned toward support for the Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola (FNLA) and also the União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola (UNITA), both recognised as legitimate liberation movements in Angola by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). The strategic position of the People’s Republic of China within the region was also more favourable to the FNLA and UNITA movements, both positioned next to Zaire’s frontiers (north and north-east for FNLA, central and central-east for UNITA). China had military bases in Zaire, accessible to both FNLA and UNITA but not to MPLA, whose constituency was based along the coastline, mainly in the area surrounding Luanda and eastwards to Malange and with an important group of supporters in the south in the neighbouring area of Benguela, Angola’s second largest city (Pélissier and Wheeler, 2009). The contours of China’s involvement with FNLA and UNITA are not uncontroversial but what can be acknowledged from the relevant literature is that China had suggested providing support to both movements. In 1963 the Chinese minister of foreign affairs, Chen Yi, met with the leader of FNLA, Holden Roberto, in Nairobi, and the leader of UNITA, Jonas Savimbi, was invited for a visit to Beijing in 1964. According to Taylor (2006) and to other accounts, FNLA received most of its weaponry from China and the movement 1 This chapter has been published at “China and Angola: a marriage of convenience?” edited by Ana Alves and Marcus Power, and published by Fahamu Books in July 2012