The Hardening of China’s Soft Power in Africa

Darko Lazar

In late February of this year, China's Ministry of Defense confirmed reports that it was constructing a military base in the tiny western African country of Djibouti.

According to various media reports, Beijing is planning to station 10,000 of its soldiers in Djibouti, which also hosts one of the largest American military bases on the African continent.

The permission to move ahead with this project is costing the Chinese three billion dollars in investments, designated for the construction of a railroad connecting Djibouti to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. In addition, Beijing is dishing out $400 million for the development of Djibouti's commercial seaports.

Thomas Mountain, an independent journalist based in neighboring Eritrea explains "in Djibouti they see the Chinese as their business partners. They are not seen as occupying their land the way the Americans are. We need to understand that when we are trying to figure out why Djibouti decided to move close to China."

No less important is China's contribution to the battle against pirates in the Indian Ocean and the Aden Peninsula. Between 2008 and 2015, some 16,000 Chinese seamen, along with 1,300 special forces personnel, took part in that battle, gaining the respect and trust of the Africans.

Eighteen Bases

Rumors of Chinese plans for the construction of eighteen military bases on the African continent have been circulating for years. Aside from Djibouti, the list of possible locations includes Tanzania, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Angola, and Mozambique.

And while the realization of a Chinese base in Djibouti disturbed the west - prompting it to accuse Beijing of attempting to ‘colonize' Africa - it hardly came as a surprise.

In an effort to protect its business interests on the African continent, Beijing has long since been relying on private Chinese military contractors. 260,000 Chinese nationals living and working in Angola - along with Beijing's investment in that country - are being guarded by China's private military companies.

This model, which the Chinese adopted from the west, paves the way for the construction of military bases.
"When we use to talk about China in Africa it was mainly about trade and the economy. But now we are talking about military. Given what the Chinese have got in Africa, it is obvious they want to protect their interests," says Isaac Tchankap, editor at Afriquetimes.

China's military experts assert that the strategically located base in Djibouti will have multiple functions. Firstly, it will be used as a support system for China's navy in the region, as well as ensuring safe-passage through the Suez Canal. In addition, it will be used to support any potential future Chinese military operations in the Indian Ocean and the Middle East. This particular function has become an even greater source of concern for Washington and its allies, after Beijing announced closer military ties with Damascus, signaling China's military entry into the Middle East firmly on the side of Russia and Iran.

Military Cooperation

The construction of the base also demonstrates Africa's increasing reliance on China.

According to figures released by London's International Institute for Strategic Studies, 68% of African countries are already purchasing exclusively Chinese-made weapons, and the orders are only getting bigger. Meanwhile, a growing number of African states send their soldiers and officers to military academies in China.

As far as China's military presence on the continent is concerned, it is worth pointing out that Chinese peacekeepers have been serving in UN missions across Africa since 1989. Aside from that, Beijing has unilaterally deployed 3,000 soldiers to peacekeeping missions.

But China's initial involvement in Africa dates back to 1958, when the country's intelligence agencies assisted Algeria's National Liberation Front in its battle against the French. Upon gaining its independence, Algeria became a base of operation for the spread of Chinese influence across the continent.

Buying Land

Perhaps the most important feature in Beijing's foreign policy towards Africa is the purchase of massive amounts of land.

So far, the Chinese have bought three million hectares of land in Congo, two million hectares in Zambia, and one million in both Mozambique and Tanzania. These purchases are followed by the arrival of a large Chinese labor force, bringing the number of Chinese nationals currently living in Africa into the hundreds of thousands.

And although this strategy has led some western analysts to point to the so-called ‘colonization of Africa', Beijing's approach has met no resistance from the Africans themselves.

"Nobody complained when the Americans came. So why should we be nervous with the Chinese coming in. Don't forget that the Chinese have huge investments in Africa," says Jon Offei-Ansah, the publisher of the AfricaBriefing Magazine.

In February 2007, China's then-President Hu Jintao visited 12 countries on his tour of the African continent, signing a strategic economic partnership with each one. Following Hu Jintao's trip, Beijing announced its intention to build a military base in Africa for the first time.

The initial candidates were Sudan [Darfur Province] and Nigeria. Conveniently for Washington, these two states became increasingly unstable in the years that followed, gripped by conflict and economic decline.

More recently, American network Fox News asserted that China's ‘soft power' in Africa was hardening. Fox concluded that the construction of the base in Djibouti is a signal that Beijing is changing the method it uses in its global expansion.

This assessment may indeed be accurate. The sheer size of the base in Djibouti is telling. It reveals that its purpose will not be solely to protect China's trade routes in the region, but rather to serve as a military shield for Beijing's interests on the entire continent - and beyond. After all, there are entire armies in the world that have far fewer than 10,000 soldiers, let alone one base.

Essentially, Beijing's economic and military investment in Africa is moving the strategic border beyond China's territory, designed to tip the global balance of power in its favor. This strategy is ultimately intended to allow Beijing to take over from Washington as the leader of the global economy.

Source: al-Ahed News