Alden, Chris (Christopher)Wu, Yu-Shan2016-10-132016-04Chris Alden & Yu-Shan Wu (2016) South African foreign policy and China: converging visions, competing interests, contested identities, Commonwealth & Comparative Politics, 54:2, 203-231, DOI: 10.1080/14662043.2016.1151170.1466-2043 (print)1743-9094 (online)10.1080/14662043.2016.1151170http://hdl.handle.net/2263/57149South Africa’s burgeoning relationship with China exposes the increasing complexities of its post-apartheid international relations. On one hand bilateral relations have deepened since 1998, due to the increasing complementarities with South Africa’s foreign policy priorities that emphasise developmental pragmatism and a Southward orientation within the broader African context. On the other hand this relationship emphasises the deeper schisms within South African society itself, where divergent and multi-layered perspectives on South Africa’s postapartheid identity and relationship with China, the country’s largest trading partner, remains unresolved. This article maps out the nature of China–South Africa relations through a thematic approach. This allows for nuanced consideration of South Africa’s contemporary foreign policy, one that remains compressed between a combination of external and domestic factors.en© 2016 Taylor & Francis. This is an electronic version of an article published in Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, vol. 54, no. 2, pp. 203-231, 2016. doi : 10.1080/14662043.2016.1151170. Commonwealth and Comparative Politics is available online at : http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/fccp20.ChinaForeign policy analysisBrazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS)South African foreign policyVisionsCompeting interestsIdentitiesPostprint Article