China, no longer a ‘passive onlooker’, plays new role in African conflicts

Beijing increasingly intervenes to protect its people, investments and interests in the region

As the Asian power becomes more entangled in security on the continent, observers question whether its non-interference policy still stands

Reading Time:4 minutes

China is increasing its security footprint in the Horn of Africa, where Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict has claimed thousands of lives. Photo: AFP

Published: 6:00am, 11 Oct 2022

China’s box office champion during last week’s National Day holiday was inspired by the true story of a mission to rescue tens of thousands of Chinese citizens after war broke out in Libya.

Home Coming, directed by Rao Xiaozhi and starring actors Zhang Yi and Wang Junkai, tells a tale of two Chinese diplomats who lead citizens home from a fictional rebel-controlled country in North Africa.

The real event the film is based on marked a turning point in Beijing’s response to conflict in Africa. In 2011, China evacuated 36,000 of its citizens after Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was killed by rebel forces following a Nato-backed revolution. It remains China’s largest non-combatant evacuation operation to date.

Since then, Beijing has focused on improving the security of its people and interests in Africa. Most of the Chinese nationals evacuated during the Libyan civil war were working on multibillion-dollar projects, largely consisting of railway and petroleum contracts.

The film Home Coming, inspired by the 2011 evacuation of more than 30,000 Chinese citizens from Libya, topped China’s box office during last week’s National Day holiday. Photo: Handout

Observers say as China’s role in Africa has expanded, it has also become more entangled in the continent’s domestic affairs and conflicts, blurring the lines on whether Beijing’s non-interference policy still stands.

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