By Jasmine Atieno
While speaking at a recent event, Chinese ambassador to Tanzania Cheng Mingjian emphasized the importance of military cooperation in strengthening bilateral relations.
Currently in her third year in the office, the ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Tanzania, has played a primary role in influencing and strengthening the bilateral relations between China and Tanzania.
Under her tenure, China has remained Tanzania’s largest trading partner and the largest source of foreign investment.
This includes investments in infrastructure projects such as roads, railways, and ports, crucial for Tanzania’s development.
She has also fostered education in the country by availing Tanzanian students with scholarships to study in China and highlighting Chinese culture in Tanzania.
In addition, during the COVID-19 pandemic, China under her leadership provided significant medical supplies and support to Tanzania, since then there have been collaborations in technology and innovation.
Her background as Deputy Director-General of the Department of External Security Affairs at China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) certainly provides her with a unique perspective on international relations and security issues.
While it might not be very certain, there are those who feel their understanding of socialism is being used to infiltrate Tanzania, including a former Law student from the University of Tanzania.
According to Beadley Ouna, a law graduate from the University of Dar-Es-salaam, Tanzania was introduced to socialism during the Nyerere era.
He says it was tenderly asserted but kind of forceful in making Tanzanians live together, which helped to end tribalism.
Ouna says that towards the end of Nyerere’s presidency, he claimed that it failed because it had some financial implications, it required a lot of financing from the state which Tanzania did not have to support.
“Mao Zedong in China also used the same system during the Chinese Revolution to kill tribalism in China and in their case it worked. So China is using this kind of system to infiltrate Tanzania because they have kind of the same structures of governance, there is no difference between state and party in Tanzania and the same as China “shares Ouna.
Ouna adds “Of course, they are trying to set up a permanent base in Tanzania to secure their interests. To secure the water waves. There was also a gas reserve in Tanzania in which the Chinese have the greatest stake, so that is why they are establishing a great presence, there is also Coal, which the British and Americans might be interested in, so they are securing this. They have strategic investments. Magufuli cared about the interests of the country and he was not willing to yield to the kind of influence they wanted,”
Increasing Chinese presence in various parts of Africa, including Tanzania has raised concerns on whether the Chinese state is trying to set up a more permanent base in Tanzania.
China’s involvement in Tanzania has primarily focused on economic investments, infrastructure development, and diplomatic relations in which the ambassador has been actively involved in promoting security cooperation between China and Tanzania by; advocating for global security initiatives.
This initiative emphasizes common, comprehensive, cooperation and sustainable security. Secondly, she has highlighted the importance of peace and stability in her public statements and articles. She also focused on non-traditional security areas such as health security, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
While all these have gone a long way, some citizens feel this presence has not been all gained with no pain.
“I don’t know about the ambassador personally, but they have created a lot of employment opportunities which have been established in Kariokor because the Chinese cannot do it themselves they have created employment for Tanzanians. A lot of factories have been set up. I can’t say it is the Chinese who are running the economy but they are huge contributors in technology and infrastructure” says Mutatina Oswald, a Tanzanian-based Lawyer.
He says what they don’t like is some of the Chinese cultures because they are too strict and they like overworking people.
“They also don’t pay people in time even for the work that they have done. It is also very meager,” he notes.
While China’s military presence in East Africa aims to enhance security and protect trade routes, there might be potential threats highlighting the need for careful management and cooperation to ensure regional stability.
Some of the potential threats include; Sovereign issues. Increased Chinese military presence could undermine the sovereignty of Eastern African Nations.
“Their military presence is tied to economic interests and security. Chinese want to secure their interests and their excessive investments. They are creating markets for their products. The military base is to secure their infrastructure from other countries. It means when we have our products we as East African cannot even use those roads because they are protected by the military. It is literally like China in Tanzania. It is threatening East African countries investing in Tanzania, and that is a big problem” shares Kassim Rajan (not his real name).
Secondly, China’s military presence is often accompanied by significant economic investments.
While this is beneficial it can lead to a dependency thus pressuring EA Countries to align their policies with Chinese interests.
Another threat is security dilemmas where neighboring countries feel threatened and may increase their military capabilities in response. This arms race will then lead to regional instability.
And lastly, Military bases can have significant environmental impacts, including pollution and habitat destruction which can affect local communities and ecosystems.
