Highlights
– The Au Yue Jiang ship attempted to delivery weapons to Zimbabwe
– The Chinese government has a history with Robert Mugabe
– China stopped the shipment to avoid an international incident and to preserve its economic interests in the region
China’s recently interdicted arms shipment to Zimbabwe has raised fears and speculation that the latest delivery was meant to thwart any efforts to unseat Robert Mugabe from power.
The ship, the An Yue Jiang, was carrying three million rounds of assault rifle ammunition, 3,000 mortar rounds, and 1,500 rocket-propelled grenades. The Chinese foreign ministry defended the shipment, saying it was normal trade in military products between the two countries. The Chinese foreign ministry also stated that the relevant contract for the arms was signed last year and has nothing to do with the current political chaos occurring in Zimbabwe.
The African country has been plagued by violence and political uncertainty, as the Mugabe-led Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) has been battling to stay in power after last month’s disputed elections.
Ship Turned Back
However, the arms aboard the 15,000-ton An Yue Jiang never made it to Zimbabwe. The cargo ship steamed back towards China last week after dockworkers in Durban refused to unload it and a South African court blocked the transit of its cargo of mortar and small arms ammunition.
Countries neighboring landlocked Zimbabwe refused to allow the Chinese freighter to dock at their ports. Zimbabwe’s neighbors ultimately rejected the shipment following heavy pressure from unions, church and human rights groups, bolstered by behind-the-scenes pressure from the United States.
The timing of the arms shipment raises new questions and further casts a spotlight on China’s ties with Zimbabwe and Africa as a whole, where its aggressive business practices and support for authoritarian regions is drawing increasing criticism from the international community.
Poly Technologies
The boycott of the Chinese ship laden with weapons also casts new light on a secretive Chinese arms-trading firm with a controversial track record from Congo to Darfur. On paper, Poly Technologies is a subsidiary of the China International Trust and Investment Corporation. However, analysts of Chinese affairs claim that Poly Technologies is actually a front for an elite clique within the country’s military-industrial complex and that it reports to the General Staff department of the People’s Liberation Army.
Although Poly Technologies discloses practically no financial details, its customers for small arms, ammunition, and mortars include Myanmar and Sudan. Assault rifles made by Poly have appeared in the war-torn eastern Congo, among other African battlefields.
While China’s global weapons exports are considered minor compared with the US, Beijing remains the principal exporter of cheap, small arms that are blamed for fueling violence in some of the most troubled areas of the world.
China, Robert Mugabe, and a Future Role
Diplomatic sources claim Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe forged links with Poly Technologies management on state visits to China. However, for the African leader, China has been a longtime revolutionary friend in times of need. During the decade-long war against the white-dominated government of Southern Rhodesia, as Zimbabwe used to be called, Beijing supplied the ZANU-PF liberation army with the funds, logistics, arms, and training needed to control the battlefield.
China is currently attempting to play a larger role on the global stage, particularly in Africa, and is increasingly sensitive to foreign opinions. However, with this increasing role in the international arena, China is facing added scrutiny for its dealings with countries that have poor human rights records.
Beijing has a substantial investment in Zimbabwe, including a $1.3 billion contract to open coal mines and three thermal power stations in the Zambezi valley. While the contract for the latest arms shipment may in fact have been agreed upon last year, the timing of the shipment is suspicious. Robert Mugabe, who is fighting to stay in power, is an ally of China and is likely the preferred choice by Chinese leadership to continue leading Zimbabwe.
Further evidence of this can be seen in reports of uniformed and armed Chinese soldiers patrolling the streets of the eastern border town of Mutare. While denied by the Chinese embassy that troops were operating in the area, the embassy did suggest that local Chinese-owned companies may have hired contractors to protect their interests.
The decision by China to send the ship back is an indication that the country is hoping to avoid an international incident and is increasingly sensitive to African public opinion, as virtually all of Zimbabwe’s neighbors opposed the shipment believing the arms would have caused further instability in Zimbabwe. In backing off on the shipment, Chinese leaders seem willing to temper their old revolutionary support when it suits their larger economic and diplomatic interests in the region.
