eijing has been helping the African Union with regional security issues. In 2017 China gave a grant of 100 million US dollars to the African Union for the purchase of military goods for its peacemaking troops in Africa. Additionally, China aided the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) in combatting Al-Shabaab’s terrorist activities by spending vast sums on the preparation of Uganda People’s Defence Force and the Kenya Defence Force, which are actively involved in AMISOM. China also makes a significant contribution to the fight against piracy. From 2008 to 2015, approximately 16 thousand Chinese sailors, and 1,300 marines and special forces personnel were part of armed convoys.
CHINA
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ANDRE VLTCHEK—The entire U.S. liberal establishment is in disarray. It is totally Euro-centric. It seems to be more pro-European than Europe itself. It actually is Europe. Could the United States under Donald Trump become cosmopolitan? I am not sure. We will soon find out.
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ANDRE KORYBKO—China must avoid being drawn into “mission creep” all across the world in defending its Silk Road interests, to which end it’s likely to avoid having any significant military presence overseas, let alone in actual conflict zones apart from the Hybrid War experiences that its peacekeepers are presently learning from. Thus, China will probably step up its training, advisory, and assistance missions to its many partners as part of its own multipolar version of the US’ “Lead From Behind” strategy, which could for example see future aircraft carrier deployments off the African coast in order to help its in-country allies respond to anti-Silk Road militants.
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JEFF J. BROWN—This was all a great anecdotal experience about life on the streets of China and geopolitical preferences of the average citizen. Not to mention, local football fans who are willing to go out at two o’clock in the morning to root for Russia, when China never even qualified for the World Cup
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JEFF J. BROWN—There is a common refrain that, China has so many people, they should dominate in football, but it’s a false assumption. It has nothing to do with China’s huge population and everything to do with tradition and nationwide sports development, going back decades: this is what we do.