China puts its military to the test in African peacekeeping roles

PLA’s involvement in UN missions has been an opportunity to accumulate experience at relatively low cost, observers say

Many of China’s latest weapons and platforms have been tested in African waters, as Beijing seeks to extend its reach

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South Sudan offered the PLA an opportunity to train its forces and test equipment. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 10:30pm, 4 Jun 2022Updated: 10:39pm, 4 Jun 2022

UN peacekeeping missions in Africa have become a testing ground for China’s “far seas operations” as Beijing seeks to extend its reach in tandem with the growth and expansion of its interests, analysts said.

Paul Nantulya, a research associate at the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies at Washington’s National Defence University, said China had deployed 40 naval task forces to the continent since 2008, when the PLA Navy joined anti-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden – its first missions outside the Western Pacific.

In a recent analysis of Chinese military interests in Africa, Nantulya found PLA naval vessels have escorted 7,000 Chinese and foreign ships in the region since joining the UN-backed effort.

Operations to evacuate stranded Chinese citizens in Libya in 2011 and Yemen in 2015 featured some of China’s newest guided missile frigates – the Xuzhou in Libya, and the Linyi and Weifang in Yemen.

“Simply put, Africa is a testing ground for China’s ‘far seas’ operations. Alongside them, the PLA conducts port calls, joint military drills, and offshore military education – improving its interoperability, knowledge of foreign forces, surveillance, and intelligence at a relatively low cost,” Nantulya said.

“The PLA’s accumulated experience in African waters arguably positions it for more complex future tasks.”

Nantulya said Beijing deployed its most capable commanders to the missions, with each flotilla led by at least a rear admiral. The PLA’s 18th mission in African waters, in 2014, included a nuclear-powered attack submarine for the first time.