South African Officials Court Biden Admin as Tensions Rise Over Pretoria’s Ties to China and Russia

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa—Senior officials from the South African government have been in Washington since Friday to try to prevent the Biden administration and members of Congress from punishing Pretoria for its increasingly close links with China, Russia, and other anti-American powers.
The delegation is led by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s national security adviser, Sydney Mufamadi, who is also a top member of South Africa’s governing African National Congress, the ANC.
The visit is happening amid concerns that South Africa’s ongoing refusal to condemn Russia’s war on Ukraine is jeopardizing its economic and political relations with the United States….