For several years now, China has been insisting to Pakistan that it be allowed to station private security guards to protect the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Across the world, several countries have already accepted Chinese personnel to protect their physical assets built as part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) including in Africa.
Now the South China Morning Post reports that China will train 3,000 foreign law enforcement officials over the next year to tackle global security issues and better protect Chinese interests beyond its borders.
In other words, China will now use domestic law enforcement capacity in host countries to protect its assets.
This is another Chinese mechanism to enhance its presence overseas and to protect its assets.
It is also an alternative to the West-led security architecture that is in place in several countries.
The latest Chinese announcement comes after recent efforts to train 2,700 officers from various countries in the past year.
China’s public security minister Wang Xiaohong recently announced at the opening of the 2024 Conference of the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum in Lianyungang, in eastern China’s Jiangsu province that China planned to train 3,000 foreign law enforcement officers over the next year, aimed at solidifying Beijing’s role as a leading security provider worldwide as part of the Global Security Initiative (GSI).
But, China’s GSI has the potential to significantly alter security dynamics in some countries and several bilateral security agreements, especially with developing nations in Africa and the Indo-Pacific region have been facilitated.
According to Xinhua, Wang also said that China would also send police consultants and operational units to countries to help improve their law enforcement capacity, conduct joint patrols and investigations, and tackle cross-border crime.
This ambitious programme is part of the broader GSI introduced by President Xi Jinping in 2022.
This year’s GSI conference was themed “Win-win cooperation under changing circumstances: building a global public security community” and saw participation of more than 2,100 people from 122 countries.
The event also featured forums on tourist security, police education and law enforcement capacity building. Wang Xiaohong noted that China had worked to implement in-depth global security initiatives and would continue to promote the development of the global public security governance system in a “more fair, reasonable and efficient direction.”
Significantly, Wang met security officials from Malaysia, Myanmar, Zambia, Nicaragua and Russia, and said China was willing to cooperate in the fight against telecom fraud, drug trafficking and other cross-border crimes, boost security along belt and road infrastructure projects and offer criminal judicial help.
Last year Wang had spoken of the need to build a cooperative public security network, adding that global powers “with more resources and advantages” should take the lead in upholding fairness and justice in the international community and take a stand against hegemony.
That forum had also issued several documents, including proposals on data security, artificial intelligence governance, and a talent programme for global public security.
The Lianyungang conference is a platform to promote China’s GSI. Ahmed Naser Al Raisi, President of Interpol claimed that China had played a key role in supporting Interpol’s mission.
He expressed appreciation for China’s support of Interpol’s Operation First Light 2024.
This is a global policing initiative against online scam networks that had frozen more than 6,700 bank accounts and seized assets worth US$ 257 million.
Participants at the Lianyungang Conference also spoke highly of GSI which China had proposed in 2022 to “improve global security governance … and promote durable peace”. Another participant, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid said GSI had paved the way for enhanced cooperation among nations and strengthened the global security network.
The GSI is not just limited to training programmes but extends to brokering high-level security agreements.
For example, China’s mediation in the Iran-Saudi Arabia peace talks and its peace proposal for the Ukraine war have been linked to GSI. “China rejects any form of hegemonism and bullying,” Wang said in his speech, underscoring China’s stance against politicised security cooperation.
China continues to position itself as a leader in global security. A recent example includes Beijing’s pledge to train 1,000 police officers from Africa after a China-Africa forum.
While it’s unclear if these 1,000 officers are part of the 3,000 foreign officers mentioned by Wang, it demonstrates China’s growing security engagement with the continent.
Analysts have described the GSI as a way of expanding China’s global influence and chipping away at the current US-led security order.
This subject should form one of the pillars of cooperation in the Quad format, whose heads of state meeting is scheduled to take place in Washington on 21 September.
Such foreign police training programmes have not been bereft of criticism. Concerns have been raised about the tendency to teach authoritarian tactics to foreign police, especially in Africa, where China has increasingly invested in the BRI.
The bottom line is that China is doing these training sessions to protect its commercial interests.
The GSI is essentially a cover for China’s imperial designs in developing countries.
But, China’s GSI has the potential to significantly alter security dynamics in some countries and several bilateral security agreements, especially with developing nations in Africa and the Indo-Pacific region have been facilitated.
Take for example, China’s 2022 security agreement with the Solomon Islands, which will no doubt lead to increased Chinese influence in the Pacific.
With China having pledged to provide 5,000 training opportunities for law enforcement professionals over the next five years, a new security challenge will be created for the West.
This subject should form one of the pillars of cooperation in the Quad format, whose heads of state meeting is scheduled to take place in Washington on 21 September.
It also lays emphasis on the importance of security cooperation in the Quad, otherwise it will remain a paper tiger.
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