China-UK Cooperation on African Peace and Security: Prospects and Challenges

Abstract

Three major factors have made closer China-UK cooperation on African peace and security not only desirable but also feasible: expanding convergence of outlook and overlap of interests, the pan-African vision of peace and development as outlined in Agenda 2063, and the launch of a global comprehensive strategic partnership between Beijing and London. At the same time, the increasing securitization of Britain’s aid policy, Africans’ growing concern about unwarranted external intervention in continental affairs, and disparate development priorities may present significant challenges for closer trilateral coordination. The prospects of China-UK cooperation on African peace and security depend on whether Beijing and London can narrow differences, achieve policy alignment, and build a multilayered security cooperation mechanism. This article proposes three priorities where closer three-way coordination can contribute to African peace and security: a regularized China-UK-Africa peace dialogue, a development-centered approach to conflict prevention and response, and increased cooperation on nontraditional security risks.

Keywords

• africa
• china
• britain
• security
• trilateral cooperation