China to help Africa build rapid response force to tackle insecurity, says foreign minister

By Kabir Adeniyi

LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) - China on Thursday reaffirmed its commitment to help Africa build a rapid response force to tackle insecurity on the continent.

The pledge was made by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a joint news conference with his Nigerian counterpart Yusuf Tuggar.

He emphasized that China was ready to work with Africa to deliver on the global security initiative and build a China-Africa community with a shared future.

“We will work to advance the partnership action for common security and provide 1 billion yuan ($135 million) of grants in military assistance to Africa and help train 6,000 military personnel and 1,000 police and law enforcement personnel for African countries,” Wang said, recalling the pledges made during the China-Africa summit held last September in Beijing.

He said China would support the building of the African standby force, the rapid response forces and support African countries in carrying out counter-terrorism peacekeeping operations.

This came at a time when Africa was facing numerous security challenges in various regions.

Wang visited Abuja on the last leg of his four-nation tour of Africa.