Africa: Despite facing opposition from Western countries such as France and the US, or reducing its military operations in Africa, China is looking for ways to strengthen ties with African countries through military training, intelligence sharing and counter-terrorism. is promoting its new global security initiative.

On Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping in a letter to the 2nd China-Africa Peace and Security Forum urged the two to launch the Global Security Initiative (GSI) and protect global justice and fairness. The author noted that "the common aspiration of the Chinese and African peoples is to realize lasting peace and universal security."

According to Xi, China stands ready to cooperate with its African friends to uphold the idea of ​​common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security.

The GSI, which was announced in April, opposes unilateral sanctions and the deliberate use of prolonged jurisdiction, as well as the pursuit of the nation's security at the expense of others. The event represents the most recent indication of China's willingness to take the lead in international security and governance.

Beijing is strengthening its security ties with Africa, where it has sent thousands of troops to UN peacekeeping missions, trained more military personnel, and wants to play a bigger role in the Horn of Africa and Sahel peace processes. Additionally, a large number of African countries are buying military hardware and supplies from China.

Senior defense officials from 48 African countries took part in the online forum on Monday. The keynote address was delivered by the Defense Minister of China, Wei Fenghe.
Wei suggested that "in order to promote China-Africa peace and security cooperation," China and Africa should "strengthen equipment and technical cooperation, deepen joint maritime training exercises, and exchange in professional fields." should be expanded."

According to John Calabrese, director of the Middle East-Asia Project at American University in Washington, China's military and security footprint in Africa has increased with the emergence of the Belt and Road Initiative and its central role in Beijing's global strategy.

China has assisted in the construction of large-scale infrastructure projects such as ports, highways, power dams, railways and roads across Africa through the Belt and Road Initiative. To protect its people and investments, China has had to increase its military cooperation. Beijing opened its first military outpost in Djibouti in 2017.

According to Calabrese, GSI will focus on counter-terrorism initiatives, intelligence sharing and military training in Africa.
According to Calabrese, "these areas will probably best protect China's assets and civilians on the continent, at relatively low transaction costs and levels of visibility that will not attract as much US or Western attention as the establishment of military bases." "

China is engaged in various security related activities across Africa. China assisted in UN peacekeeping operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Liberia. China sent its first combat troops to the United Nations mission in Sudan about ten years ago. It sent troops to aid the UN's Mali peacekeeping mission in 2013.

According to Calabrese, Beijing's aid in anti-piracy operations also includes providing resources such as patrol boats to the Ghanaian military, in addition to contributions from its own naval forces in the Gulf of Aden.
“China makes efforts to cooperate with law enforcement and improve public safety,” the official said. During the UN mission in Liberia in 2014 and more recently, for example, in South Africa and Zambia, the Chinese conducted police training. inspected."
Additionally, China has contributed financially to security initiatives of regional institutions, such as the G5 Sahel Joint Force and the Economic Community of West African States. Beijing announced that it would continue to provide military aid to the African Union, citing the GSI.

The security landscape in China also includes Chinese security companies such as Beijing Dewey Security Service and Huaxin Zhong An Security Group. Calabrese continued to mention People's Liberation Army exercises with Cameroon, Gabon, Ghana and Nigeria as part of the emerging relationship.
According to Mohamed Soliman, a scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington, the GSI is being promoted by China as "a non-Western alternative and mechanism by the Global South to the Global South".

According to Soliman, China will use the initiative "to position China as a great power capable of projecting influence beyond its sphere of influence in Asia."
Over the past 10 to 15 years, Beijing has become a strategic ally for many Middle Eastern and African countries, thanks to China's transacted military and security cooperation. Many regional powers prefer a transactional bilateral model relations, according to Soliman.
China's "footprint regionally may come sooner than policymakers in Washington and Brussels expect" in Africa, according to Soliman.

According to Barton, the scope of Chinese economic interests as well as local demand will lead to a continued expansion of Chinese military and public or private security interests in Africa.
"China is not the only significant provider of external security on the continent. In terms of the defence of their interests, the militaries, arms suppliers, and private security companies of the US, Russia, France, the UK, and the UAE are on par with China, according to him.
France has recently encountered resistance in some African nations like Mali, where it announced earlier this year that it would withdraw its forces after a deployment of nearly ten years, as China pushes for a larger role in the security of the continent.

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