China's big move in Africa scares US, Pentagon afraid due to...
New Delhi: The growing number of African military officers getting training in China has troubled America. A top American military official said that the Chinese army is copying their training programme for African military officers. Meanwhile, China is expanding its presence in Africa with military aid, arms and weapons sales, which experts have warned could reduce American influence. Till now America's influence was considered to be the highest in African countries. But, in recent years China and Russia have expanded their influence. Russia has deployed its private militia in many African countries. US-China Africa tussle
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.
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