China has gradually expanded its military and security cooperation with African countries, especially since the establishment of the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2000. Beyond traditional areas of engagement like peacekeeping and naval escorts, security cooperation now encompasses digital and public security, overseas interests, and infrastructure protection, as well as security governance under the Global Security Initiative (GSI).
As these activities have diversified across countries, sectors, and institutions, academic and policy interest has grown significantly. Yet, evidence of these types of engagements remains dispersed across academic and case studies, official announcements, and sector-specific reporting, making it difficult to see broad continental trends and changes over time.
To address this gap, the China-Global South Project (CGSP), in collaboration with the China Africa Security Radar (CASR) Substack, has created the China-Africa Security Atlas to present a fuller picture of this evolving relationship. Drawing on more than 700 open-source materials, the Atlas organizes and presents approximately 500 publicly documented engagements across 12 categories covering the period from 2000 to early 2026.
The findings reveal a broad and multilayered relationship where diplomacy, arms transfer, technology, infrastructure, and risk management increasingly reinforce one another. The implications of this deepening relationship will depend not only on China’s ambitions but also on how African states use these partnerships to strengthen local capacity while preserving strategic autonomy.
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