International records / Foreign Relations of the United States

15. Memorandum Prepared by the Office of National Estimates, Central Intelligence Agency

ambassadors have been posted to all but a couple of the African countries which recognize the CPR . The diplomatic initiative has not been limited to the radically-inclined states. The most recent countries to extend formal recognition are Ethiopia, Nigeria, and one of Africaʼs leading non-starters, Equatorial Guinea. For these countries the establishment of diplomatic and trade-and-aid ties is a painless way to demonstrate their political non-alignment and their independence of the West, as well as to gain a potential new source of foreign aid. For the Chinese it is a chance to regain some of…