Likely early Chinese goals for the CADSF were revealed in the course of its first agenda, a two-day conference in Beijing and then visits to PLA units and weapons factories by smaller groups of African delegates. In the two-day conference located at the International College of Defense Studies at the PLA National Defense University in Beijing, the Chinese side stressed their commitment to continued military cooperation with Africa while some African military representatives stressed that China should help them with resources to do their jobs. But Major General Hu’s was reported as having saidthat “China was averse to cold war mentality as there was a need for collective security mechanism that would guarantee security of both China and Africa.” This could be interpreted as an attempt to divide Africans from the United States, the source of “cold war mentality.” As has transpired with the SCO, it can be expected that China will use the CADSF to produce consensus statements increasingly critical of the West. Perhaps China’s second priority for the first CADSF meeting was to promote arms sales. One Chinese company at the AAD exhibition had received one of the CADSF delegations and agreed that CADSF could do much to promote Chinese arms sales to Africa. Some of its officials were even hopeful that CADSF could develop much like SCO. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, China’s share of the continent’s arms purchases nearly doubled to 17 percent over the 2013 to 2017 five year period. China targets the African market with very low-cost but capable weapon systems like the $15 to $20 million Guizhou FTC-2000G supersonic strike fighter. The FTC-2000G combines the empennage and engine of a Guizhou JJ-7 (MiG-21) trainer with a modern radar and “glass” cockpit, enabling the employment of Chinese-made precision-guided weapons. Many African guests attended its publicized September 28 “first flight,” while earlier this year Sudan took delivery of six FTC-2000 trainer versions. But in seeking to expand its arms sales by investing in “downstream” military logistics, China has been rebuffed by South Africa, which has the continent’s most advanced modern weapons development sector. According to South African corporate and military officials at AAD, in the 2012–2013 time frame China attempted to establish maintenance and repair organization in South Africa to service weapons in the continent, but this was refused. But starting on a smaller scale, China will build a logistics support facility in Botswana to support the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Standby Force. A third Chinese priority is to gain additional military access and even more bases in addition to its first ever foreign military base established in July 2017 in Djibouti. Director of the China Association of International Studies, Victor Gao, commenting on the CADSF, told Chinese television that China may seek a base on the west coast of Africa. One source at AAD suggested that Nigeria might provide such West African naval access. In early June, a PLA Navy Type 054A frigate participated in Nigeria’s 2nd International Maritime Conference and multinational naval exercise. Following its switching diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China in December 2016, China may be providing Sao Tome and Principe with $416 million to upgrade its airport and port, raising concerns China may seek naval access. Off of the west coast, in late 2011 China considered but declined an offer from the Seychelles to establish a naval supply base and more recently is suspected of having complicated India’s attempt to build a base there.
Chinese side stressed their commitment to continued military cooperation with Africa priority for the first CADSF meeting was to promote arms sales. One Chinese company at the AAD exhibition had received one of the CADSF delegations and agreed that CADSF could do much to promote Chinese arms sales to Africa. Some of its officials were even hopeful that CADSF could develop much like SCO China’s share of the continent’s arms purchases nearly doubled to 17 percent over the 2013 to 2017 five year period. China targets the African market with very low-cost but capable weapon systems like the $15 to $20 million Guizhou FTC-2000G supersonic strike fighter The FTC-2000G combines the empennage and engine of a Guizhou JJ-7 (MiG-21) trainer with a modern radar and “glass” cockpit, enabling the employment of Chinese-made precision-guided weapons starting on a smaller scale, China will build a logistics support facility in Botswana to support the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Standby Force. A third Chinese priority is to gain additional military access and even more bases in addition to its first ever foreign military base established in July 2017 in Djibouti Following its switching diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China in December 2016, China may be providing Sao Tome and Principe with $416 million to upgrade its airport and port, raising concerns China may seek naval access