China’s naval plans in Africa are threat in Atlantic, says US general
- Potential Chinese naval base on Africa’s Atlantic coast ‘concerns me greatly’, General Stephen Townsend says
- Beijing has approached several countries about establishing a naval facility that would help it base warships in the Atlantic as well as Pacific, he says
General Stephen Townsend said Beijing was looking to establish a large navy port capable of hosting submarines or aircraft carriers on Africa’s western coast. Townsend said China had approached countries stretching from Mauritania to south of Namibia, intent on establishing a naval facility.
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Townsend’s warnings come as the Pentagon shifts its focus from the counterterrorism wars of the last two decades to the Indo-Pacific region and threats from great power adversaries like China and Russia. The Biden administration views China’s rapidly expanding economic influence and military might as America’s primary long-term security challenge.
US military commanders around the globe, including several who may lose troops and resources to bolster growth in the Pacific, caution that China’s growing assertiveness isn’t happening only in Asia. And they argue that Beijing is aggressively asserting economic influence over countries in Africa, South America and the Middle East, and is pursuing bases and footholds there.
“The Chinese are outmanoeuvring the US in select countries in Africa,” said Townsend. “Port projects, economic endeavours, infrastructure and their agreements and contracts will lead to greater access in the future. They are hedging their bets and making big bets on Africa.”