China’s defence chief tells African officials ‘tradition of helping each other will not change’

The Chinese military will work more closely with African countries in combined drills and training as well as peacekeeping missions, China’s defence minister said at a security forum in Beijing on Tuesday.

“The principle of seeing each other as equals will not change in China-Africa cooperation, and the tradition of helping each other will not change,” General Li Shangfu was quoted as saying by state-run tabloid Global Times.

Li said military cooperation would make the world more stable and predictable, addressing more than 100 defence officials and military chiefs from nearly 50 African nations and the African Union at the China-Africa Peace and Security Forum.

China’s defence chief says the military will work more closely with African nations on drills, training and peacekeeping missions. Photo: Simon Song

The six-day conference, which ends on Saturday, follows the annual Brics summit of emerging economies and the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue, both of which were held in Johannesburg, South Africa last week.

Aside from its economic aid and investment in the continent, China has worked with African armed forces to fight pirates, militias and terrorists, and trained dozens of African leaders.

Armed insurgents have kidnapped and killed some of the many Chinese builders and miners in Africa, where Beijing has invested heavily under its Belt and Road Initiative and “go out” policy that incentivised companies to invest abroad.

China is also among the most popular destinations for military training for African officials. Dozens of current and former African leaders have attended Chinese military schools such as the People’s Liberation Army Command College in Nanjing.

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In his address, Li touted the Global Security Initiative, repeating verbatim a description of the strategy used by President Xi Jinping in his speeches.

“We should uphold a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security,” Li said, according to footage of his speech aired on state broadcaster CCTV.

“We should walk the new path to security of dialogue, not confrontation; of partnership, not alliance; and of win-win, not zero-sum.”

The initiative sets out policy principles that underpin Beijing’s vision for a secure world, some of which aim to counter Western foreign policy, especially that of the United States. It promotes dialogue to resolve conflicts instead of “abusing” unilateral sanctions and exercising “long-arm jurisdiction”.

“China is willing to stand firmly with the peoples of Africa, with one heart and one mind, to implement the Global Security Initiative together and build together a secure Chinese-African community of a common destiny,” Li said.

Xi has frequently referred to a “community of common destiny for humanity” in his speeches to foreign audiences to appeal to common values.

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Delegates at the security forum – including the defence chiefs of Chad, Ghana, Senegal and Zambia – have also shared their views on counterterrorism and promoting cooperation between Africa and China, state-run newspaper China Daily said, without elaborating.

The conference was first held in 2019 and was held online last year because of pandemic restrictions.

South China Morning Post