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China relies on private security firms to keep workers and projects safe in Africa, report says
- They are hired mainly by state-owned enterprises to protect oil and gas installations, railways, mines and construction sites
- Contractors have also been recruited for Chinese embassies, according to Carnegie-Tsinghua Centre for Global Policy
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China is relying heavily on private security contractors to protect its belt and road projects, citizens and diplomats in Africa, according to a report by a global policy think tank.
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Most are Chinese private security firms that have been hired to work in a growing number of countries, mainly by state-owned enterprises to keep oil and gas installations, railways, mines and construction sites safe.
The contractors have also been recruited to protect Chinese embassies, the Carnegie-Tsinghua Centre for Global Policy said in the report released on Thursday.
China’s security needs in Africa have grown in recent years. According to the report, as of 2018, more than 200,000 Chinese workers had relocated to the continent in search of opportunities under the Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing’s controversial global trade and investment scheme. That took the total number of Chinese immigrants in Africa to more than 1 million.
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Belt and Road Initiative explained
Belt and Road Initiative explained
China is also the biggest foreign investor in construction projects in Africa. As of this year, it was responsible for more such projects than France, Italy and the United States combined, according to the think tank, citing information from Chinese state media and government reports.
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