Security a key area of cooperation

Intensified cooperation between China and Africa has not only promoted economic and trade development, but also contributed to peace and security in Africa, experts said.

Cavince Adhere, an international relations specialist from Kenya, said that China's foreign policy is about respect, equality and common development. He added that China has become a major country that is preoccupied with exporting peace and development to its international partners.

As Africa's largest trading partner, China's partnership with the continent has been defined by extensive consultation and consensus building and responding to the needs and requests of African countries without imposing extraneous terms or conditions, Adhere said.

"China has not imposed their idea of governance on African countries," he said. "China is pushing for amity of civilizations, learning from each other and seeking points of convergence rather than superimposing its will on African countries."

He lauded initiatives by China to promote peace, including the China-Africa Peace and Security Forum, which has become a focal point of security cooperation between the two sides.

Besides offering to help train African militaries and security personnel, China actively contributes its troops to the United Nations' peacekeeping missions on the continent as part of the nation's peaceful development policy. Beijing has also been active in supporting counterpiracy operations on the continent while seeking common ground on ways to resolve global security challenges and upholding international justice.

"China's decision to appoint a peace envoy for the Horn of Africa in 2022 demonstrates Beijing's willingness to constructively engage in Africa's peace and security prospects," Adhere said. "It is emblematic of recent action steps taken by Beijing to support novel aspects of peace and security such as conflict mediation."

He said China's peace initiative in Africa is unique because its approach elevates development as a guarantor of peace and security while also championing multilateralism. The continent is endowed with natural resources but has been held back by domestic and cross-border conflicts and other forms of security challenges such as terrorism.

Adhere also noted that guided by its noninterference policy, China's leadership emphasizes that its role in boosting Africa's security is focused on limited, multilateral intervention and building the continent's capacity to pursue solutions to its unique problems.

Noninterference policy

While reiterating China's noninterference policy during a UN Security Council meeting in May, Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, stressed the importance of respecting the leadership of African nations and their knowledge of how to best address their continent's problems. He rejected interference in African internal affairs, including applying pressure and sanctions.

"Africa should be a big stage for international cooperation, not an arena for great power competition," Fu said. "The international community should focus on helping African states fully display their strengths, turning their human and resource endowment into real productivity."

Africa has seen a steady rise in Chinese peacekeeping activities, including in West Africa, where China has steadily expanded the number and variety of personnel it contributes to UN peacekeeping missions. These include military observers in Sierra Leone and Cote d'Ivoire; medics, engineers and police in Liberia; and armed infantry in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali.

Despite China's efforts to help Africa attain security, some experts argue that challenges still exist, and more can be done to achieve peace on the continent.

Mikewa Ogada, a security researcher in Kenya, said that China and Africa can make more efforts to give civil society stakeholders in regional peacekeeping efforts a louder voice at future conferences such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the China-Africa Peace and Security Forum.

This will help highlight the realities of those most affected by conflict in the discussions and improve coordination among stakeholders, she said.

otiato@chinadaily.com.cn