China and Russia seek bigger security role in post-coup Burkina Faso
- Beijing’s response to latest West African military takeover has been muted but its links with the country look set to continue, observers say
- Chinese investment includes an optical fibre communications network and security surveillance system, while Russian lobbyists are offering help to junta
Instead of the forthright condemnation that followed the overthrow of Guinean president Alpha Conde, Beijing called “on all parties in Burkina Faso to bear in mind the fundamental interests of the nation and people, and peacefully resolve differences through dialogue”.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday last week that China would “spare no effort to protect the safety of Chinese citizens in the country”. The Chinese embassy in Ouagadougou issued a security alert warning its citizens to take precautions.
The counsellor for political affairs in Burkina Faso Wang Wenzhang told CCTV last week that the about 500 Chinese citizens in the West African country were not currently affected, but China was keeping a close watch on their safety.
Beijing’s response to the Burkina Faso coup, which ousted Roch Marc Christian Kabore, was a return to China’s decades-old policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries.
In comparison, its statement on the Guinean coup last year said bluntly, “China opposes coup attempts to seize power and calls for the immediate release of President Alpha Conde”.