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ANALYSIS
Date Posted: 14-Jul-2008
Jane's Defence Weekly
China strengthens hold in African export arena
Matthew Smith Defence Economics Analyst - London
Development of a military export capability potentially gives China extra leverage in the contest for orders in Africa. Matthew Smith reports
As China increasingly develops its indigenous defence-industrial capabilities and looks to exert its political and economic muscle on a global level, it appears inevitable that its military exports will rise and China will find itself in increasing competition with other export powers
A survey of potential future markets shows that a congruence of technical abilities, budgetary availability and China's broader geopolitical objectives makes Africa stand out as a future destination for export competition.
Unsurprisingly for such a vast continent, the factors that lead countries to look to African countries as export markets are complex.
Oil and resources
Western countries such as France view oil-rich states such as its former colony of Morocco or Libya (where it has historically enjoyed warm relations) as natural targets for exports of advanced military equipment. However, there is also high demand for lower-tech, cheaper equipment. Russia has traditionally supplied many of the regimes in Africa and would look to maintain those relationships and re-assert its position as a dominant regional player and counter a perceived US hegemony.
China already has a well-documented interest in Africa's resource wealth and has been vigorous in its cultivation of economic ties, considering access to energy and commodities to be an essential element of its continuing economic development.
Developing a military export capability potentially provides China with an additional source of leverage when negotiating these critical access arrangements.
The issue of arms embargoes should also be considered: a series of EU and UN embargoes put a number of African states beyond the reach of Western defence organisations. Active EU embargoes (as of June 2008) are held against Côte d'Ivoire; Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); Liberia; Somalia; Sudan; and Zimbabwe. Mandatory UN embargoes are operated against Côte d'Ivoire; DRC rebels; Liberia; Rwanda rebels; Sierra Leone rebels; Somalia; and Sudan (Darfur region). Furthermore, one attraction of Africa may be that no one supplier state can claim to dominate arms supply across the whole continent: as a result, it can be viewed as a source of myriad opportunities.
It is certainly the case that among the top African spenders Libya and Algeria appear committed to Russian-sourced equipment, although France has been keen to compete in both these countries, whereas Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia favour US or European equipment. Other countries not blessed with large budgets or US Foreign Military Financing assistance appear to be more eclectic in their approach, sourcing arms from a global set of suppliers.
China has until now been a relatively small player in Africa as it has been less able to supply the big players with the advanced military equipment that is available from the USA, Europe or Russia.
Instead, China has concentrated on those smaller countries that can assist in its search for secure access to energy and commodities, such as Sudan and Tanzania while investing substantially in non-military infrastructure projects. However, as Chinese export capabilities improve, and its need to ensure access to energy to maintain its domestic economic growth becomes more acute, this will change.
Recent export deals show how Chinese exports are concentrated in Asia and Africa. According to the UN, in 2006 China exported defence equipment to Bangladesh, the Republic of Congo, Gabon, Jordan, Namibia, Niger, Pakistan, Tanzania, Thailand and Zimbabwe.
China supplies aircraft to Egypt and Kenya, and Jane's Defence Forecasts indicates there are potential opportunities in Algeria, Botswana, Egypt, Kenya and Morocco. These are in both training/light strike aircraft, such as the K-8 (also being marketed to Venezuela among others) and the JF-17 multirole combat aircraft.
JF-17
The JF-17 in particular will place China firmly in the role of a competitor to both Russia and the US as the aircraft is being positioned as an alternative to Russian Sukhoi aircraft and (presumably secondhand) F-16s.
Yang Ying, vice-president of China Aero-Technology Industry Corporation (CATIC) - China's largest aviation industry trading company - said on 19 February 2008 at the Singapore Airshow: "We don't only want to sell this aircraft to Pakistan. When we first thought of the JF-17, we wanted to export this aircraft globally, particularly to African and Asian countries. "We know that many of our customers might also look at the F-16 or the Sukhoi, but we also know that we have a specific advantage with the JF-17; it is much cheaper than other aircraft. We think it is about one third of the cost of an F-16."
The combination of low costs and few overt political strings may prove an increasingly attractive combination to African countries, particularly if the technological and qualitative improvements in its military equipment continue and the benefits of a close relationship with an emerging great power become increasingly apparent.
© 2008 Jane's Information Group
Date Posted: 14-Jul-2008
Jane's Defence Weekly
China strengthens hold in African export arena
Matthew Smith Defence Economics Analyst - London
Development of a military export capability potentially gives China extra leverage in the contest for orders in Africa. Matthew Smith reports
As China increasingly develops its indigenous defence-industrial capabilities and looks to exert its political and economic muscle on a global level, it appears inevitable that its military exports will rise and China will find itself in increasing competition with other export powers
A survey of potential future markets shows that a congruence of technical abilities, budgetary availability and China's broader geopolitical objectives makes Africa stand out as a future destination for export competition.
Unsurprisingly for such a vast continent, the factors that lead countries to look to African countries as export markets are complex.
Oil and resources
Western countries such as France view oil-rich states such as its former colony of Morocco or Libya (where it has historically enjoyed warm relations) as natural targets for exports of advanced military equipment. However, there is also high demand for lower-tech, cheaper equipment. Russia has traditionally supplied many of the regimes in Africa and would look to maintain those relationships and re-assert its position as a dominant regional player and counter a perceived US hegemony.
China already has a well-documented interest in Africa's resource wealth and has been vigorous in its cultivation of economic ties, considering access to energy and commodities to be an essential element of its continuing economic development.
Developing a military export capability potentially provides China with an additional source of leverage when negotiating these critical access arrangements.
The issue of arms embargoes should also be considered: a series of EU and UN embargoes put a number of African states beyond the reach of Western defence organisations. Active EU embargoes (as of June 2008) are held against Côte d'Ivoire; Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); Liberia; Somalia; Sudan; and Zimbabwe. Mandatory UN embargoes are operated against Côte d'Ivoire; DRC rebels; Liberia; Rwanda rebels; Sierra Leone rebels; Somalia; and Sudan (Darfur region). Furthermore, one attraction of Africa may be that no one supplier state can claim to dominate arms supply across the whole continent: as a result, it can be viewed as a source of myriad opportunities.
It is certainly the case that among the top African spenders Libya and Algeria appear committed to Russian-sourced equipment, although France has been keen to compete in both these countries, whereas Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia favour US or European equipment. Other countries not blessed with large budgets or US Foreign Military Financing assistance appear to be more eclectic in their approach, sourcing arms from a global set of suppliers.
China has until now been a relatively small player in Africa as it has been less able to supply the big players with the advanced military equipment that is available from the USA, Europe or Russia.
Instead, China has concentrated on those smaller countries that can assist in its search for secure access to energy and commodities, such as Sudan and Tanzania while investing substantially in non-military infrastructure projects. However, as Chinese export capabilities improve, and its need to ensure access to energy to maintain its domestic economic growth becomes more acute, this will change.
Recent export deals show how Chinese exports are concentrated in Asia and Africa. According to the UN, in 2006 China exported defence equipment to Bangladesh, the Republic of Congo, Gabon, Jordan, Namibia, Niger, Pakistan, Tanzania, Thailand and Zimbabwe.
China supplies aircraft to Egypt and Kenya, and Jane's Defence Forecasts indicates there are potential opportunities in Algeria, Botswana, Egypt, Kenya and Morocco. These are in both training/light strike aircraft, such as the K-8 (also being marketed to Venezuela among others) and the JF-17 multirole combat aircraft.
JF-17
The JF-17 in particular will place China firmly in the role of a competitor to both Russia and the US as the aircraft is being positioned as an alternative to Russian Sukhoi aircraft and (presumably secondhand) F-16s.
Yang Ying, vice-president of China Aero-Technology Industry Corporation (CATIC) - China's largest aviation industry trading company - said on 19 February 2008 at the Singapore Airshow: "We don't only want to sell this aircraft to Pakistan. When we first thought of the JF-17, we wanted to export this aircraft globally, particularly to African and Asian countries. "We know that many of our customers might also look at the F-16 or the Sukhoi, but we also know that we have a specific advantage with the JF-17; it is much cheaper than other aircraft. We think it is about one third of the cost of an F-16."
The combination of low costs and few overt political strings may prove an increasingly attractive combination to African countries, particularly if the technological and qualitative improvements in its military equipment continue and the benefits of a close relationship with an emerging great power become increasingly apparent.
© 2008 Jane's Information Group
