An increasing number of African military officers receiving training in China has concerned the Pentagon, with a top US military chief saying the PLA was replicating its training programmes for African personnel.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, Beijing is expanding its footprint in Africa with a combination of military aid, training and arms sales in ways that experts warn could erode US influence.
General Michael Langley, who leads the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), warned that China was replicating its training programmes such as its US International Military Education and Training (IMET), which provides grant-based training to foreign military and civilian personnel.
“They’re [China] trying to replicate what we do best in our IMET programme,” Langley said on the sidelines of the Africa Chiefs of Defence Conference in Nairobi last week.
The warning comes at a time when the Trump administration is shifting its approach from providing military help to pushing for African countries to be self-reliant. China is a major supplier of military equipment, especially in the Sahel, as junta-led leaders pivot from their Western partners such as the US and France.
Advertisement
IMET has seen thousands of Africans go through the programme but the move by President Donald Trump to cut foreign aid has hurt such programmes.