Chinese boots on the ground

Soldiers, sailors, medics and observers help keep peace in Africa

Kenya continues to play a significant role in promoting peace and security in East Africa. But the spillover from instability rocking its neighbors has had grave consequences for the country, including terrorist attacks, proliferation of weapons, and a large influx of refugees.

Kenya, which has played regional mediator, has welcomed allies that share its foreign policy of promoting diplomatic means of conflict resolution. In the recent past, China has filled that role.

This has grown from a commitment by Beijing in July 2012 when ministers at the fifth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation agreed to strongly focus on peace and security.

At that time, Hu Jintao, then Chinese president, emphasized the close connection between economic development and peace and stability, saying that in order to boost a new type of China-Africa relations it was imperative to create a secure environment for Africa's development.

Under the framework, China committed to respecting African peace initiatives in resolving its issues the African way and, secondly, to join efforts and work in synergy with the African Union, subregional organizations and countries to enhance their coordination and cooperation.

In October, China hosted the China-Africa Peace and Security Seminar in Nairobi, where experts were invited to take an overview of Africa's security landscape and identify challenges and opportunities facing China-Africa cooperation. Strategies to further enhance this relationship were also sought.

But as they put forward their proposals, China has already hit the ground running, engaging in peacekeeping missions, training and funding. It also has participated in naval escort missions that started in the Gulf of Aden in 2008 as part of its contribution to the UN's anti-piracy operations.

In January, Beijing committed to sending a 700-strong peacekeeping contingent to South Sudan. The new nation has been engulfed in uncertainty since a brutal civil war erupted along ethnic lines in December 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy, Riek Machar, of planning a coup.

Under the auspices of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, the first Chinese infantry battalion is tasked with protecting civilians and maintaining tranquility as peace negotiations steered by Kenya and Ethiopia continue in Addis Ababa.

That is only one of many missions that have brought thousands of Chinese soldiers, sailors, police and observers to Africa in recent years. China has participated in about 16 peacekeeping missions in Africa since 2002. It has 75 percent of its international peacekeepers in Africa and is set to become the sixth-largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget.

The country contributed 12 military observers to the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara; also, 563 troops, four police officers and two military observers to the United Nations Mission in Liberia; and seven military observers to the United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire.

It also contributed 218 troops and 16 military observers to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Under the United Nations Mission in Sudan, China sent 444 troops, 18 police officers, and 12 military observers to support implementation of a comprehensive peace agreement signed in Nairobi.

Subsequently, China sent 321 troops to the volatile Darfur region to implement a ceasefire agreement under the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur.

When Eritrea and Ethiopia locked horns over a disputed border, China sent 2,000 observers under the United Nations Mission in the two countries.

But it was China's contribution of 500 troops in 2013 to 6,000 peacekeeping forces under the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali that may have raised its global image most. UN Special Representative for Mali Albert Gerald Koenders praised the contingent's deep sense of responsibility, saying it contributed to the smooth presidential election in the West African country.

The Mali mission, which preceded the South Sudan mission, made China the largest contributor of peacekeepers to Africa on the UN Security Council.

Experts called it a major shift, noting that while this type of engagement is relatively recent, it is a game-changer.

The country has for a long time adhered to the non-interference philosophy that sits well with African leaders. "African leaders accept China's mutual respect, partnership and non-imposition of the economic paradigm on the continent," says Bonnie Ayodele, a lecturer with the Department of Political Science, University of Ado-Akiti, in Nigeria, during a 2013 presentation.

But Ayodele reckons that now, Beijing is clearly balancing its role as a trading partner and peace promoter, while still taking care to avoid trampling on a country's sovereignty. China clearly adheres to the two principles underpinning traditional peacekeeping operations, gaining the consent of the host country and using force only to defend themselves, their mandate and civilians, particularly in situations where the state is unable to provide security and maintain public order.

Ayodele says that Africa's security and development are intertwined. "It is therefore important to ask if China's engagement in Africa is premised in assisting the continent to overcome its security and developmental challenges."

The continent continues to experience challenges such as armed conflict, proliferation of light weapons, porous borders, an explosion of both rural and urban population, and terrorism.

Joseph Kioi Mbugua, a researcher at the International Peace Support Training Centre, a military research and training institution in Kenya, asserts that there can be no development amid conflict.

"The military and economic approach taken by China is commendable. By engaging with the sitting governments, it avoids repeating history where clandestine ways proved costly to other countries," Mbugua says.

Because China sits on the UN Security Council as a permanent member, African governments are confident that their initiatives have strong backing, he says. "China promotes peaceful resolutions of conflicts, and this gives mediators such as Kenya the necessary impetus," says Mbugua.

He points out that Chinese engagement in peace signifies its intention to be a long-term partner. "Development is the foundation of peace, while peace is the precondition for development. Underdevelopment is the root cause of conflicts in Africa, and the ultimate solution lies in the promotion of social and economic development of the continent."

China has contributed military aid worth 50 million yuan ($8 million) to the African Union in support of African efforts to resolve conflicts. Besides actively participating in missions, China also provides training to the African Standby Force and peacekeeping missions "just as we do", Mbugua says.

lucymorangi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 06/26/2015 page8)