Dozens of African countries in attendance at 3rd China-Africa Peace and Security Forum in Beijing

As many as 50 African States have sent officials to the third China-Africa Peace and Security Forum taking place in Beijing as part of China’s security cooperation with Africa. An alternative to the US presence in the continent and European influence.
Chinese authorities placed the event under the theme: “Implementing the Global Security Initiative [GSI] and Strengthening China-Africa Solidarity and Cooperation”.
The forum kicked off on August 28 and will wrap up on September 02. The event will focus on President Xi Jinping’s Global Security Initiative (GSI), which sets out Beijing’s policy principles for managing conflicts and keeping the world at peace.
“In the future, China will enhance military cooperation with Africa in various fields including joint exercises, peacekeeping and escorting, military education as well as professional training in order to inject more certainty, stability and positive energy to a turbulent world,” said the Chinese Defense chief, Li Shangfu said during his keynote address.
A representative of the African Union also announced that China next year will hold a joint naval drill with several African nations.
Beijing, Li added, will increase its military cooperation with the regional nations. “Good China-Africa cooperation can inject more stability into the world. China will enhance military cooperation with Africa in various fields”, he added. The summit is taking place amid a series of coups against western-backed leaders. Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea and Gabon have seen a rise of power by military officers backed by populations that are demanding an end of western and mostly French influence.
China has sought to increase its influence on the continent as part of efforts to curb western and American domination.
Beijing, through its non-interference policy, has kept a low profile in the diplomatic crisis that opposes France and some African countries.