Home Asia Pacific

China ‘Gobbles’ Russia’s Market Share In Africa; Increases Defense Cooperation As Ukraine War Keeps Moscow Busy

Beijing’s economic clout has always dominated news coverage of China’s expanding relations with African countries. However, with Russia distracted by the conflict in Ukraine, China seems to have significantly increased its defense and security cooperation in Africa. 

Recent statistics have indicated that Beijing’s expanding influence may threaten the Russian market share. However, China’s defense and security cooperation is not only confined to exporting weapons to African countries. 

It has even deployed private military and security contractors (PMSCs) to safeguard a range of projects including mining complexes, ports, and railways – under the Belt and Road Initiative. 

The RAND Corporation, an American think tank, recently published a new map that tracks Chinese and Russian military activity in Africa. The report noted that Moscow and Beijing supplied various weapons, including aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles, artillery, armored vehicles, missiles, and ships. 

The report shows that Chinese PMSCs have been stationed in 15 African countries, while Beijing has transferred munitions or weapons to 17 countries. 




China’s Caihong-5 armed drones are for sale on global markets. Photo: Xinhua

On the other hand, Russian private military and security companies have obtained contracts in 31 African nations, placing them slightly ahead of China. According to statistics from RAND released in late December, Moscow has also transferred weapon equipment to 14 African countries.

With long-standing relations that date to the anti-colonial liberation movements of the 1950s and 1960s, Russia supplies just under half of the military hardware in Africa. This defense and security cooperation is primarily based on troop training, arms sales, and the dispatch of mercenaries.

The RAND study found that seven African nations have received both PMSCs and armaments from China, compared to ten from Russia. Meanwhile, Angola, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Mali, and Sudan are among the five countries that have acquired weaponry and PMSCs from China and Russia.

The analysis discovered that 15 countries that had acquired Chinese PMSCs had also received Russian private security firms.

Ben Lewis, a US-based defense analyst, told the EurAsian Times that Beijing had made a concerted effort to increase its arms and security sales in the global south. “This goes hand in hand with the Belt-Road Initiative.”

Lewis emphasized that as most Chinese PMCs are directly or indirectly state-owned, and given Chinese policy on civil-military fusion, the utilization of these companies is a key component of Chinese influence operations in Africa.

China Is Carving Out Its Segment In Africa

China, like other nations, is driven to sell weapons for financial benefits, and these deals frequently involve complex negotiations. This may boost China’s overall influence on that nation.

Additionally, manufacturing weapons systems for export can cut the marginal cost of those systems, enabling nations like China to sell their products to consumers at cheaper unit costs. 

John Parachini, a senior international and defense researcher at RAND, said that most of China’s private security firms serve Chinese industrial ventures abroad. Compared to Russian military corporations like the Wagner Group, which act as mercenaries, their responsibilities in foreign countries have been very different, Parachini noted.

Over the past five years, Russia has conducted covert military operations in at least six African nations employing a shadowy mercenary group that analysts believe is close to President Vladimir Putin. 

Read More

Exit mobile version