China's Hospital Ship Visiting African Ports

 Defence Web posted on 21 August 2024 an article titled "Chinese Hospital Ship on Goodwill Visit to Cape Town."

The Chinese PLA Navy hospital ship, Peace Ark, has completed visits to Seychelles, Tanzania, Madagascar, and Mauritania.  It is currently visiting South Africa and will continue to Angola, the Republic of Congo, Gabon, Cameroon, Benin, Mauritania, and Djibouti.  

PLA Navy Ships Call at Maputo, Mozambique

 Defence Web posted on 2 April 2024 an article titled "Chinese Naval Task Force Visiting Mozambique" by Guy Martin.

The PLA Navy's 45th 3-ship anti-piracy naval task force that recently completed its rotation in the Gulf of Aden made a 5-day visit to Dar es Salaam and then continued to Maputo, Mozambique for another 5-day visit.  

Chinese Navy Task Force Extends Visit from West Africa to South Africa

 Defence Web published on 25 July 2023 an article titled "Chinese Navy Resumes Port Visits to Cape Town" by Dean Wingrin.

A three ship PLAN task force that had completed its rotation in the Gulf of Aden made port calls in Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Gabon, and Republic of Congo before arriving in Cape Town, South Africa on 24 July for a three-day goodwill visit.  The ships include the guided-missile destroyer Nanning, the guided-missile frigate Sanya, and supply ship Weishanhu.

China's Security Engagement in Latin America Looking More Like Its Engagement in Africa

 The Center for Strategic and International Studies published in November 2020 a paper titled "Chinese Security Engagement in Latin America" by R. Evan Ellis, U.S. Army War College.

I am struck by how the themes in this paper mirror the earlier development of China's security engagement with African countries: arms sales, high level military visits, military training in China, military exercises, PLAN port calls, use of private security companies, and police cooperation.  

China's Maritime Silk Road

The European Council on Foreign Relations published in April 2018 a policy brief titled "Blue China: Navigating the Maritime Silk Road to Europe" by Mathieu Duchatel and Alexandre Sheldon Duplaix.

While the focus of the study is Europe, the authors conclude that China's Maritime Silk Road is about power and international influence. Northeast Africa, especially Djibouti, the Red Sea, and the Suez Canal are an important part of this construct.

China-Africa Military Relations

The China Africa Project ran a 30 minute podcast on 30 June 2015 titled "China's Expanding Military Presence in Africa."  Eric Olander and Cobus van Staden interviewed me on a variety of China-Africa military issues, including UN peacekeeping operations, anti-piracy in the Gulf of Aden, military sales, emergency evacuation of Chinese nationals from Africa, and rumors of new Chinese military activities in Africa.