Is Africa becoming a ‘testing ground’ for Chinese power projection?
Six Chinese J-16 fighter jets arrived in Egypt last month for a joint exercise in what was the aircraft’s first known deployment in Africa. In Egyptian airspace, Chinese pilots had the rare chance to train against the Rafale, an advanced French-built fighter. The 6,000km (3,700-mile) deployment was completed in about nine hours with aerial refuelling, and tested China’s ability to move and…
In a recent joint military exercise, six Chinese J-16 fighter jets arrived in Egypt, marking the aircraft's first known deployment in Africa. The aircraft, equipped with advanced French-built Rafale fighters, trained in Egyptian airspace for a distance of 6,000km (3,700 miles) – a record-breaking deployment completed in about nine hours with aerial refueling.
This exercise highlights China's growing military presence in Africa and its desire to test the capabilities of its forces in challenging conditions, said Paul Nantulya, a China-Africa military specialist. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is using joint exercises, peacekeeping operations, evacuation missions, and its anti-piracy deployment in the Gulf of Aden to evaluate its expeditionary capabilities.
Dr Ilaria Carrozza, a senior researcher at the Peace Research Institute Oslo, explained that China's training strategy in Africa focuses on the PLA's warfighting, joint logistics, and sustaining troops in unfamiliar terrain. Meanwhile, Lina Benabdallah, an associate professor at Wake Forest University, emphasized that China's military ties with Africa have been growing for decades, driven by defense diplomacy, joint drills, procurement, naval patrols, basing, and mediation.
The expansion of China's military presence in Africa began in the 1950s when the PLA helped train officers in Algeria. Anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden, initiated in 2008, marked a significant step in Beijing's overseas operations. In recent years, China has sent more advanced equipment to African waters, including Type 054A frigates, Type 039A/041 attack submarines, and a permanent logistics hub in Djibouti.
As China continues to expand its military presence in Africa, these joint exercises provide valuable opportunities for both nations to strengthen their military ties, diversify security partnerships, and safeguard Chinese interests in the region.
Written by urgent.news from Reuters Business via SCMP's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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