By Lin Zihan and Zhao Huaning
The second China-Africa Peace and Security Forum Ministerial Meeting was recently held in Beijing via video link on the theme of "Strengthen solidarity and coordination to achieve common security". China and Africa have blazed a distinct path of cooperation on their way toward development and rejuvenation. Acting on the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, China has been actively fulfilling its international responsibilities and obligations, and acting as a staunch supporter, constructive participant and steadfast contributor to Africa's peace and security.
China provides strong support for strengthening Africa's own peacekeeping capacity. For a long time, China, pursuing the greater good and shared interests, and upholding the principles of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, has firmly supported African countries and regional organizations like the African Union. It believes that Africa's issues should be addressed in African ways, objects to foreign interference in Africa's internal affairs, and provides aid and support within its capacity to help Africa enhance its independent peacekeeping capability. Ever since President Xi Jinping put forth eight major new initiatives at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2018, China has delivered 100 million US dollars to the African Union (AU) in military assistance grants to support building up the African Standby Force (ASF) and the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises (ACIRC). China has also implemented the China-Africa Peace and Security Cooperation Fund, completed 50 security aid projects, and provided equipment, supplies, training and other forms of support for Africa’s efforts at maintaining peace and stability. The Chinese military has had close high-level exchanges with its African counterparts, besides, it has carried out military technology exchange and cooperation, helped build academies, hospitals and other facilities in Africa, and assigned military experts there, taking all steps to support African countries in strengthening their national defense and military development and reinforcing their own peacekeeping capacity.
China provides security products for peace and stability in Africa. China has taken an active part in the UN's peacekeeping missions in Africa, where there are currently about 2,000 Chinese peacekeepers carrying out missions. China is the largest contributor of peacekeepers among the five UN Security Council permanent members and the second largest sponsor of the UN's peacekeeping operations, with around 75% of its peacekeeping funds used for Africa. The PLA Navy has regularly assigned military vessels to carry out escort missions at the Gulf of Aden since 2008, and the 41 batches of escort taskforces it has assigned so far have cumulatively escorted more than 7,000 Chinese and foreign vessels in 1,500 batches or so. China is also a constructive participant in humanitarian aid, which fully showcases its sense of responsibility as a major country. It took the initiative to help fight the Ebola pandemic. After the COVID-19 broke out, it provided 120 batches of supplies to 53 African countries and the AU, sent medical experts or short-term medical teams to 17 African countries, and shared with them its experience on pandemic prevention and control.
China plays a positive role in improving security governance in Africa. It has taken an active part in the mediation of hotspot issues in Africa, and it supports the resolution of disputes and divergences through dialogue and consultation, playing a constructive role in improving Africa's security governance and pushing its peaceful development. In recent years, when China was the rotating chair of the UN Security Council, it initiated to hold public debates on the "pirate issue at the Gulf of Guinea", "strengthening Africa's peace and security building capacity", and "enhancing peacekeeping operations in Africa", calling on the international community to pay more attention and give more support to the peace and security cause in the region. China has organized a range of China-Africa activities since 2018, including the China-Africa Defense and Security Forum, the Dialogue on the Implementation of China-Africa Peace and Security Initiative, China-Africa Peace and Security Forum, Webinar on Security Situation in the Gulf of Guinea, and China-Africa Peace and Security Forum Video Conference on Military Medicine. It has also participated in important conferences on peace and security held by African countries. All these efforts have further coordinated the policies and positions of the two sides and better aligned their concepts and actions. In January 2022, China put forward the Outlook on Peace and Development in the Horn of Africa, and advanced the convening of the first China-Horn of Africa Peace, Good Governance and Development Conference in June. This was intended to urge regional countries to resolve divergences through negotiations, and better cope with the triple challenges of security, development and governance, receiving great responses and support in the region.
As the world is faced with profound changes and the pandemic both unseen in a century, the international situation becomes ever more unstable and uncertain. China and Africa are always in a community with s shared future, and their friendship has stood the test of moments of adversity. Upholding the outlook of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, China will stand steadfastly by Africa and continue to contribute wisdom and strengths to its peace and security.
