“Strict punishments in accordance with the law and guarantee for the safety of Chinese citizens.” This is what Beijing asked after the recent attack on the Chimbolo gold mine in the Central African Republic, cost the lives of nine Chinese. The assault on the mining site, managed by the Chinese Gold Coast Group and inaugurated just a few days earlier, took place around 5.00 on Sunday 19 March, when armed men overtook the guards and opened fire. There were no immediate claims, but suspicions immediately fell on her Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC), an alliance of insurgent groups that has frequently attacked local armed forces. The rebels deny and point the finger against Wagner Group. On the other hand, it wouldn’t be the first time: Russian mercenaries are known for the impunity with which they operate in the country and have repeatedly been guilty of violence against civilians. But in this case the nationality of the victims makes the issue particularly slippery.
In recent years, the Chinese government has not hidden a certain concern for the safety of its investments in Africa, as well as of the Chinese community in the continent shaken by civil wars and jihadist attacks. The Chinese diaspora, known for having cash, are often targeted by robberies and assaults by disgruntled African workers. That it is probably the Russians who make the situation worse is an aspect not publicly discussed that complicates Beijing’s position. According to government sources consulted by The Daily Beast, the Chinese authorities want to conduct independent investigations to ascertain responsibility for what happened.
As elsewhere, even in Africa, the “friendship without limits” between China and Russia shows hairline cracks. Rivals at the time of the Cold War, in the midst of the Sino-Soviet crisis, Moscow and Beijing supported national liberation parties and movements, helping allied factions in the civil wars in Zimbabwe, Angola and Mozambique. Then over the decades the two countries have divided roles and responsibilities, following a script also used in Central Asia: China, faithful to the cardinal principle of non-interference, has mostly devoted itself to economic affairs. Russia, on the other hand, after the dissolution of the USSR has maintained thanks to its war industry: it has continued to support African capitals with the sale of armaments and other forms of military assistance; thanks to the threat of Islamic terrorism. In 2018, five sub-Saharan African countries – Mali, Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso and Mauritania – explicitly appealed to Moscow for support in the war against Isis and al-Qaeda. In Libya, the support provided by the Wagner Group to General Khalifa Haftar, rather than to the government recognized by the international community – as the think tank American Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) – has made it possible to strengthen “Russia’s geostrategic position and diplomatic influence” in North Africa, making Moscow an essential interlocutor in any attempt to resolve the conflict.
In the Central African Republic, Russian mercenaries have even been working shoulder to shoulder with President Faustin-Archange Touadéra since 2018 as “instructors” in the battle of Bangui against the CPC. They do this in exchange for natural resources. Five years ago, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced a collaboration between Moscow and the Touadéra government which provides for mining concession contracts. One of the mining sites operated by Wagner Group is located very close to the Chinese mine where the latest shooting took place. As known, the relations between the Kremlin and the mercenaries are not very clear, and the Russian diplomacy often seemed forced to coexist – and sometimes to collaborate – with the paramilitary groupespecially for security reasons, but not without tensions.
For obvious reasons, China has never spoken out on the matter. But given Beijing’s obsession with stability, it is very likely that the Wagner Group’s activities in Africa represent a concern for the Chinese leader. Of course, they hide it well. In recent times, international alignment with Moscow has also increasingly affected the African continent: at the end of February – coinciding with the anniversary of the war in Ukraine – China and Russia carried out joint military exercises with South Africa. Since the beginning of the conflict, the Chinese media present on the continent have frequently relaunched the Russian disinformation, attributing the disruption of grain supplies to Western sanctions. Yet behind the slogan of “friendship without limits” the interests of the two countries often end up colliding. An example is the increase in Chinese military exports to Africa, an area of the world that until recently was heavily dependent on Moscow’s war industry.
According to a study by the Atlantic Council, seeing its projects on the continent under threat, between 2010 and 2021 the Asian giant significantly increased the sale of arms in sub-Saharan Africa, where Chinese investments are concentrated. Today, China accounts for 22% of total exports, just below Russia, still at the top with a 24% share. In addition to economic competition, a radical dissonance of views can be glimpsed: in keeping with the principle of non-interference in the affairs of others, Beijing prefers to delegate the maintenance of security to African governments, simply taking care to strengthen their arsenal and train their personnel. Quite a different school of thought than the Wagner Group mercenaries. The local population does not seem to grasp the distinction much. About 200 people marched through the streets of Bangui on Thursday to show support for the two friendly nations bringing investments and helping fight rebel groups: “Support China” and “We love Russia and we love Wagner” read the banners displayed by the protesters.