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2 Military backs China's Africa
adventure By Susan Puska
Of all the elements of growing national
power China now wields to promote its national
interests in Africa, its military's role raises
the most anxiety. Beijing's Africa strategy to
promote China's economic (resource access and
trade) and political (one-China recognition)
interests explicitly tie in the People's
Liberation Army (PLA) to support overall peace and
security for its interests in Africa.
The
strategy tasks the PLA with conducting high-level and
technological military
cooperation and exchanges, training African
military personnel and "support[ing] defense and
army building" in African countries. [1]
Additionally, the PLA and police support China's
Africa strategy through participation in United
Nations Peacekeeping Operations (PKO), and
non-traditional missions, such as combating
terrorism, small-arms smuggling, drug trafficking
and transnational economic crimes.
Consequently, the PLA now maintains a
growing military presence on the African
continent. Estimates range from approximately
1,200 soldiers, including PKO forces, to more than
5,000. [2] Its military-to-military contacts
extend throughout the continent, reaching at least
43 countries to provide a network of military
relations from which to shape its future role in
Africa.
Defense attache
representation Chinese Embassy defense
attache offices throughout Africa provide the
diplomatic foundation for China's military
contacts. Accredited defense attaches link the PLA
to host country militaries. Defense attache duties
vary, but as a minimum, they report on local
matters from a military and/or security
perspective and facilitate contacts with local
armed forces. China currently maintains bilateral
diplomatic military relations with at least 25
African countries, spread across the main regions
of the continent.
At least 14 of the
107 Chinese military attache offices worldwide are
in African countries. Collectively, these offices
hold at least 30 accredited military officers, in
addition to support personnel. They are located in
Algeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt,
Ethiopia, Liberia, Libya, Morocco, Mozambique,
Namibia, Nigeria, Sudan, Tunisia, Zambia and
Zimbabwe.
In Beijing, 18 African countries maintain
permanent defense attache offices. [2] Six
of these offices were directly reciprocal: Algeria
(which has continuously maintained a defense
attache in Beijing since January 1971), Egypt,
Namibia, Nigeria, Sudan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The 11 remaining countries that do not have
known Chinese resident equivalents in Africa include
Burundi, Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast (Cote
d'Ivoire), Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya,
Mali, Niger, South Africa and Tanzania.
Since 1985, China has almost doubled the
number of defense attache offices worldwide from
59 to 107. [4] In Africa, however, the number of
Chinese defense attache offices increased quite
modestly from only nine to 14, maintaining an
average of 15% of all of China's attache offices
over the past 20 years. In contrast, China has a
defense attache office in practically every
capital in Europe.
Reported
defense-to-military activities China
divides its primary bilateral military activities
with foreign countries into four main categories:
[5]
1. Major military
exchanges. Between 2001 and 2006, Chinese
military leaders visited Africa over 30 times,
touring virtually every country that recognizes
China. These visits often included more than one
country, but several of the countries received
multiple stopovers by Chinese military leaders.
Of these, Egypt, by far, welcomed the
highest number of Chinese senior delegations - 15
during the course of these six years.
Additionally, China's still rare naval ship visits
have included stops in Africa. Rear Admiral Huang
Jiang led the first PLA Navy (PLAN) ship visit,
consisting of the Shenzhen, China's newest
Luhai-class guided missile destroyer at the time,
and the Nancang supply ship to Africa in July
2000. A 2002 naval ship visit by a fleet composed
of a guided missile destroyer, the Qingdao, and a
supply ship, the Taicang, included Egypt.
2. Chinese bilateral security
consultations. Between 2001 and 2006 China
conducted 110 bilateral security-related meetings
and consultations. The number of biannual
bilateral defense-related talks jumped from 33
between 2003 and 2004, to 46 during 2005 and 2006.
Despite this overall increase, South Africa is the
only African country that holds security
consultations with China. [6] South Africa and
China initiated the Meeting of the Sino-South
African Defense Committee on April 2003 in
Pretoria, where Xiong Guangkai, deputy chief of
the General Staff, represented the Chinese. Since
then, South Africa and China have had three
subsequent meetings that have alternated between
South Africa and China. The most recent meeting
was held in December 2006 in Pretoria.
3. Joint exercises. Between
August 2005 and December 2006, China conducted
joint military exercises (including maritime
search and rescue and counter-terrorism scenarios)
with India, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan,
Thailand, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO),
and the United States. No African states have yet
been included in the joint exercises with China,
either bilaterally or multilaterally.
4. Peacekeeping operations.
China has participated in United Nations PKOs
since 1990. [7] As of March, China ranked 13th as
a contributor of military and police to UN
missions worldwide. Its support includes 1,572
troops, 63 military observers and 174 police.
During this same period, Pakistan ranked first
with over 10,000 personal; the United States
ranked 43rd. [8] China's largest contributions
include the United Nations Interim Force in
Lebanon (343), and three of the six African PKO
missions:
United Nations Mission in the
Sudan (UNMIS) - Established in March 2005
to support the implementation of the January
2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement between
the Government of Sudan and the Sudan
People's Liberation Movement/Army. It was expanded
in August 2006 to include the implementation of
the Darfur Peace Agreement. UNMIS provides
some humanitarian assistance, as well as protection
and promotion of human rights. China contributes
446 of the 8,766 soldiers, nine of the 662 police,
and 14 of the 599 military observers.
United Nations Operation in Cote
d'Ivoire (UNOCI) - Established in April 2004
to facilitate the implementation of the peace
agreement signed by Ivorian parties in January
2003. China contributes seven out of the 200
military observers. UNOCI also includes 7,854
soldiers and 1,187 police.
United
Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) -
Established in September 2003 to support the
Comprehensive Peace Agreement, it protects UN
staff, facilities and civilians; supports
humanitarian and human rights activities; and
assists in national security reform, including
national police training and the formation of a
restructured military. China contributes 565 out
of the13,841 soldiers, 18 of the1,201 police and
three of the 214 military observers.
United Nations Mission in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) -
Established in November 1999 to support the
implementation of the Lusaka Accord, its current
mission is to carry out disarmament,
demobilization, repatriation, resettlement and
reintegration. The final phase of its mission,
concurrently in
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