China’s Expanding Military Engagement Across Africa

File image of People's Liberation Army soldiers at a training facility in Cambodia's Kampot province on March 15, 2020. Image via Xinhua.

China is rapidly expanding its military engagement with African countries through a combination of joint exercises, growing arms sales, officer training programs, and deeper security cooperation under its Global Security Initiative.

This widening footprint is generating unease in the United States, where policymakers and analysts are particularly worried about unsubstantiated claims that the PLA is seeking to build a base somewhere along Africa’s Atlantic coast.

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by Eric Olander

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