Global Security and Intelligence Studies Volume 2, Issue 1, Fall 2016 | Page 93

Is China Playing a Contradictory Role in Africa?
African states because of its inability to compete for sales in the more technologically
advanced arms markets dominated by the US, Britain, France, and Russia.
China’s aggressive arms sales in African markets have placed it among
the top five arms suppliers in the world. It currently has arms transfers deals or
military relationships with several large African states such Egypt, Nigeria, Ethiopia,
Zimbabwe, and South Africa, as well as smaller states like the Republic of Congo,
Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Burundi, and Sierra Leone, among others. One of the
strategies utilized by China to make its arms sales attractive is the use of favorable
financing. Many African countries cannot afford expensive, sophisticated weapons
that fetch premium prices in the international marketplace. So China caters to this
market, making its weapons affordable to cash poor countries through loans with
very low interest rates or mineral rich countries willing to grant access to natural
resources in a quid pro quo arrangement for supplying weapons. Consequently, the
cost of Chinese made weapons remains below market, giving China the competitive
edge through affordability, defined as inexpensive, rather than affordability defined as
sophistication (Baker 2015). This translates into poor African countries having easy
access to small, inexpensive, easy-to-use arms from China that have the potential
to fuel eruptions of instability, increase political repression, and stifle economic
development in recipient countries. This strategy by China has the dual effect of
strengthening its ties with authoritarian leaders who need weapons to perpetuate their
rule, and benefiting from sales to these authoritarian regimes thereby achieving its
geo-economic objectives. China, stated differently, is using a “catch all” strategy in its
dealings with African states. Moreover, China uses frequent and aggressive marketing
tactics to capture market share in Africa, constantly promoting its military hardware
at annual arms exhibits held in various states spanning the continent. The list of
cooperating Chinese manufacturing firms is lengthy and includes companies such as
China National Electronics Import-Export Corporation (CEIEC), China Electronics
Technology Corporation (CETC) International, and China Aviation Industrial Base
Corporation (CAIBC), as well as hundreds of smaller manufacturers. Apart from
a strategy of affordability through attractive financing and payment options, China
also ensures a wide array of arms and military hardware in its export inventory.
Consequently, the scope of its offerings include small arms, armored vehicles, tactical
and air defense weapons, naval ships, short range tactical ballistic missiles fighter jets,
and communications surveillance and reconnaissance equipment. The list of available
equipment also includes uniforms, boots and packs, as well as police items such as
protective clothing and riot gear. Variation in wealth and military strength among
African countries allows China to sell both small inexpensive, low-tech weapons as
well more expensive and sophisticated military weapons. Consequently, transfers
include battle tanks, guided missiles, air defense systems, and armored personnel
carriers. Furthermore, China’s success in African markets is also enhanced by its long
standing policy of non-interference. This policy has allowed China, on occasion, to sell
weapons to opposing warring entities as was the case in the Ethiopia-Eritrean conflict.
Similarly, Chinese weapons were used in the Darfurian genocide in the Sudan where
Janjaweed militia systematically murdered, raped, and tortured civilians (Enuka 2011).
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