China's big move in Africa scares US, Pentagon afraid due to...
General Michael Langley, who leads the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), warned that China was copying training programmes such as the US International Military Education and Training (IMET), which provides grant-based training to foreign military and civilian personnel, the South China Morning Post reported. 'They (China) are trying to replicate what we do best in our IMET programme,' Langley said during a conference of Africa's defence chiefs in Nairobi last week. US turns its back on Africa
The warning comes at a time when the Trump administration is shifting its approach from providing military aid to making African countries self-reliant. China is a major supplier of military equipment, especially in the Sahel, as junta-led leaders are increasingly pulling away from their Western partners such as the USA and France. IMET has seen thousands of Africans go through the programme, but President Donald Trump's move to cut foreign aid has hurt such programmes.
While the US has trained thousands of African military officers and continues to do so, their number is stagnant or declining. In contrast, Beijing has stepped up its training for African military officers. Last month, China hosted about 100 young and mid-career African military officers from 40 countries as part of its long-term strategy to deepen defence ties across the continent. China wooing Africa
At last year's China-Africa cooperation summit in Beijing, President Xi Jinping pledged to invite 500 young African military officers to China and train 6,000 African military personnel over the three years to 2027. China will also provide 1 billion yuan (US$139 million) in military aid as part of efforts to boost its global security initiatives. China replacing the US in Africa
According to David Shin, former US ambassador to Burkina Faso and Ethiopia and current professor at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs, in the report, both the US and China have provided training to African military personnel at various levels of their careers for many years. However, in recent years the number of those trained in the US has remained relatively stable, while Beijing appears to be significantly increasing the number of those trained in China.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
19 minutes ago
- First Post
China keeps up Russian oil purchases as Indian demand falls, say analysts
While Indian state refiners have paused Russian oil purchases in the wake of US tariffs, Chinese refineries have continued to buy Russian oil under encouragement from the Trump administration. An oil tanker is moored at the Sheskharis complex, part of Chernomortransneft JSC, a subsidiary of Transneft PJSC, in Novorossiysk, Russia, on October 11, 2022. File Image/AP Chinese refineries have purchased 15 cargoes of Russian oil for October and November delivery as Indian demand for Moscow's exports falls away, two analysts and one trader said on Tuesday. India has emerged as the leading buyer of Russian seaborne oil, which has sold at a discount since some Western nations shunned purchases and imposed restrictions on Russian exports over Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Indian state refiners paused Russian oil purchases last month, however, as those discounts narrowed. And US President Donald Trump is also threatening to punish countries for buying Russian crude. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD China had secured 15 Russian Urals cargoes for October–November delivery by the end of last week, said Richard Jones, a Singapore-based crude analyst at Energy Aspects. Each Urals cargo ranges in size from 700,000 to 1 million barrels. Kpler senior analyst Xu Muyu wrote in an August 14 report that China has likely purchased about 13 cargoes of Urals and Varandey crude for October delivery, along with at least two Urals cargoes for November. The additional Russian Urals supply could curb Chinese refiners' appetite for Middle Eastern crude, which is $2 to $3 per barrel more expensive, Xu said. This, in turn, could add further pressure to the Dubai market which is already losing momentum as seasonal demand fades while competition from arbitrage supply intensifies, she added. A trade source agreed with Kpler's estimate, adding that the cargoes were booked mostly at the beginning of this month by Chinese state-owned and independent refineries. China, the world's top oil importer and largest Russian oil buyer, primarily buys ESPO crude exported from the Russian Far East port of Kozmino due to its proximity. Its year-to-date imports of Urals crude stood at 50,000 barrels per day, Kpler data showed. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Urals and Varandey crude are typically shipped to India, Kpler data showed. Indian state-refiners have backed out Russian crude imports by approximately 600,000 to 700,000 bpd, according to Energy Aspects' Jones. 'We do not expect China to absorb all of the additional Russian volumes, as Urals is not a baseload grade for Chinese majors,' he said, referring to Chinese state refineries which are not designed to solely process the Russian grade. Chinese refiners will also be wary about the possibility of US secondary sanctions if Trump's push for a Ukraine peace deal breaks down, he added. Trump said on Friday he did not immediately need to consider retaliatory tariffs on countries such as China for buying Russian oil but might have to 'in two or three weeks'. (This is an agency copy. Except for the headline, this has not been edited by Firstpost staff.)
Indian Express
19 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Modi, Putin to meet in Delhi by end of year
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet in New Delhi by the end of the year; however, the dates are yet to be finalised, news agency Reuters reported, quoting the Russian embassy in India Wednesday. The announcement comes at a time when geopolitical tensions continue to rise, with the United States imposing tariffs on Indian goods in a bid to increase pressure on Russia over its actions in Ukraine. Accusing the US of double standards, Russian deputy chief of mission Babushkin said, 'Sanctions are hitting those who are imposing them, disrespecting national interests. Pressure on India not to buy Russian oil is unjustified. We are confident India-Russia energy cooperation will continue notwithstanding external pressure.' 'If Indian goods cannot go to the US market, they can head to Russia, and India matters very much to Russia,' Babushkin said, calling the sanctions unjustified. He also asserted that Russia understands the challenging circumstances for India and is committed to removing them. He emphasised that Russia values its strategic partnership with India, and is committed to supporting New Delhi during challenging circumstances. 'If Indian goods cannot go to the US market, they can head to Russia, and India matters very much to Russia,' Babushkin said, adding that the current sanctions were 'unjustified'. Babushkin further stated that India understands the current global energy supply situation, saying, 'India understands there is no chance to change supplies right now, and the profit is very high for India.' Despite the ongoing pressures and shifting dynamics, Babushkin noted that India and Russia have 'always managed to find ways to work in our interests despite issues'. 'Mechanisms are in place to continue oil supplies to India,' he assured, adding that both countries are working to remove further barriers to trade in order to strengthen economic cooperation. The Russian Embassy also underlined the strategic significance of India-Russia-China relations. 'Engagements between Russia, China, and India, are important for regional security,' he said hoping for a trilateral will happen with India and China sooner rather than later.'
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Amid "No-First-Use Policy", China Explands Its Nuclear Forces: Report
Honh Kong: Alongside a massive build-up in conventional military firepower, China has embarked on a rapid and sustained increase in the size and capability of its nuclear forces, according to the U.S. military and arms control experts. The commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, General Anthony Cotton, told Congress in March that the directive from Chinese leader Xi Jinping that China's military be ready to seize Taiwan by 2027 was driving a build-up of nuclear weapons that could be launched from land, air and sea. In its 2023 national defense policy, China renewed its longstanding pledge that it would not be the first to use nuclear weapons under any circumstances. The so-called 'no first use' policy also includes a promise that China will not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against a non-nuclear armed state. In response to questions, the defense ministry in Beijing said 'a nuclear war cannot be won and must not be waged.' China, it said, adhered to a 'nuclear strategy of self-defense and pursues a no-first-use policy.' In its annual report on Chinese military power, the Pentagon said despite China's public stance, its strategy probably includes a possible first use in response to conventional attacks that threaten the viability of its nuclear forces, command and control or that approximates the effect of a nuclear strike. Beijing would also probably consider nuclear first use if a conventional military defeat in Taiwan 'gravely threatened' the Communist regime's survival, the Pentagon said in the report published late last year. China's defense ministry said it opposed 'any attempt to hype up the so-called 'Chinese nuclear threat' in an effort to smear and defame China and deliberately mislead the international community.' China is expanding and modernizing its weapons stockpile faster than any other nuclear-armed power and has accumulated about 600 warheads, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a Chicago-based non-profit. It said China is building about 350 new missile silos and several new bases for road mobile launchers. It estimated that China's military, the People's Liberation Army, had about 712 launchers for land-based missiles but not all were assigned for nuclear weapons. Of those launchers, 462 can be loaded with missiles 'that can reach the continental United States,' it said. Many of the PLA's launchers are for shorter range missiles intended to attack regional targets but most of those were not assigned for a nuclear strike, the Bulletin's assessment said. In its report, the Pentagon estimated that the PLA would have more than 1,000 operational nuclear warheads by 2030, as it seeks to build a bigger force ranging from low-yield precision strike missiles to intercontinental ballistic missiles with multi-megaton explosive impact.
