As China offers Africa an alternative to traditional Western partnerships, its deepening multilateral engagements could considerably impact the continent, particularly on governance, human rights and regional cooperation.
One aspect that has received little attention is the growing China-Africa security cooperation.
The third China-Africa Peace and Security Forum in Beijing from 19 August to 2 September, convened over 100 defence ministers and senior representatives from nearly 50 African countries and the African Union (AU).
Despite the impressive turnout, it was largely overshadowed by the BRICS Summit, contested elections in Zimbabwe and coups in Niger and Gabon.
The forum focused on implementing the Global Security Initiative (GSI) proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2022. The GSI sets out Beijing’s policy principles for addressing the world’s complex and interconnected security challenges. It aims to give China a larger role in global governance by…