Joining Africa against terrorism

China stands ready to jointly face terrorism with Africa by ramping up its efforts to help African countries build their capabilities in the fight against terror.

Taking advantage of the political and security turmoil in some parts of Africa, terrorist organizations are spreading their activities to the continent, trying to establish a new safe haven for themselves.

On Friday night, an unidentified armed group attacked a Chinese company's camp in northern Cameroon, leaving one Chinese national wounded and 10 others missing. This came about a month after the Nigeria-based Islamist militant group Boko Haram kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls and threatened to "sell them on the market".

Africa needs help from the international community in dealing with this serious threat, as limited resources and capabilities have become the biggest issues in combating terror on the continent, says a Xinhua News Agency commentary.

China is ready to strengthen its efforts in helping Africa fight terrorism and is willing to assist the continent in addressing the root causes of terrorism, including persistent poverty, widespread unemployment and the unequal distribution of economic resources.

During his four-nation African tour in early May, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited Nigeria as scheduled, despite the recent attacks in the country, and offered assistance to help find the schoolgirls who were abducted on April 14.

Li assured the Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan that China will support Nigeria's fight against terrorists in every possible way, including the training of military personnel for anti-insurgency operations, and he promised that China will make any useful information acquired by its satellites and intelligence services available to Nigeria's security agencies.

Trade and economic ties between China and Africa are more intertwined and diversified than ever, and Chinese investment has created huge employment opportunities in Africa, playing a big role in improving people's livelihoods.

Meanwhile, the Chinese premier pledged to further boost relations with Africa by upgrading bilateral economic and trade ties in a bid to benefit the peoples of both sides during his fruitful African tour.

China, an "all-weather" friend and partner of Africa, will stand firm beside the continent in the face of the growing threat of terrorism, and make unremitting efforts to ensure continuous and effective assistance.

(China Daily 05/20/2014 page8)