One hundred military personnel from more than 40 African countries will visit China starting next week to participate in exchange activities at the invitation of the Asian country’s Ministry of Defence.
According to a statement quoted by the Turkish news agency Anadolu, the delegation includes military personnel from Mozambique, Egypt, Tanzania and Kenya, who will have the opportunity to visit several cities in the Chinese province of Hunan over a period of ten days.
The document recalls that earlier this year, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pledged $136 million in military aid to Africa during official trips to Namibia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad and Nigeria.
At the time, Wang also assured that the Chinese government would help train more than 6,000 soldiers and more than 1,000 police officers across the continent. ‘The African delegation’s visit comes after the conclusion of a joint training exercise between the Chinese and Egyptian air forces.’
Last year, President Xi Jinping said that his country is willing to support Mozambique in combating terrorism and maintaining peace and stability, adding that it is ready to cooperate closely in the creation of multilateral platforms.
‘We are willing to expand cooperation in areas such as infrastructure, energy and mineral resources, agriculture and the digital economy, and to support Mozambique’s industrialisation and economic diversification,’ he stressed.
On another occasion, Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun said that his country was willing to work with the Defence and Security Forces (FDS) to strengthen cooperation and take military relations to a new level.
‘Deepening bilateral military cooperation is of strategic importance for achieving common development and maintaining regional stability, so we will work to reach consensus on all components,’ he said.
The Asian country supported the guerrilla fighters of the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) in their struggle against Portuguese colonial rule and was one of the first nations to establish diplomatic relations with Mozambique on its independence day (25 June 1975).
