Africa: Ghana and Cameroon engaged with China’s military

Africa: Ghana and Cameroon engaged with China’s military

Ghana engaged with China in joint military exercise
The 28th Escort Task Group of the Chinese Peoples’ Liberation Army Naval vessel has arrived in Ghana. This is the maiden visit of the task group and will further deepen cooperation between Ghana and China.

By Robert Anane/Elizabeth Ofosu
Ghana News Agency

Accra, GNA – The 28th Escort Task Group of the Chinese Navy, arrived in Tema on 2018 June 4, to begin a series of exchange programs with their Ghanaian counterparts.

The Group while in Ghana would, make a donation to the Naval Base Primary School in Tema, hold a joint sea military exercise with their Ghanaian counterparts as well as joint sports activities and many more.

The Group, which arrived at about 0900 hours at the Tema Habour in a Chinese Naval Ship, was met by a large number of Chinese and Ghanaian Dignitaries, who waved the national flags of both countries.

As part of the welcoming ceremony, the National anthems of the two countries were played, whilst a Guard of Honor was mounted and inspected by Lieutenant General Obed Boama Akwa, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Ghana Army.

There was also some display of Chinese culture as part of the ceremony.

Mr. Shi Ting Wang, the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, who was also at the port to meet the Group, said presently, China-Ghana relations had reached an impressive level of cooperation and understanding,

He said military exchanges had made considerable progress as an important part of bilateral relations.

Mr. Shi said with both China and Ghana being enthusiasts and defenders of world peace, the strengthening of co-operation and trust in the military field between the two countries, was of positive significance to safeguarding world peace.

“I hope that the two sides would grasp the opportunity of this visit, to promote the development of relations between the two Armed Forces and countries, and to also make greater contributions to safeguarding world peace,” the Chinese Ambassador said.

Lt. Gen Akwa welcomed the group on behalf of the Minister of Defence, Mr Dominic Ntiwul, and said the complex nature of maritime security, made it necessary for nations to cooperate in that area.

“Recent unfortunate incidents of attacks in our waters, give credence to the need to train and build capacity to deal with these threats,” he said.

The CDS noted that maritime crime had a rippling effect on the economy and the entire nation once it happened, and could affect several countries.

“A typical commercial ship has multiple nationalities and any incident on board affects the flag of the state, the owner’s country, nationality of the crew members, the home port and even the charterer,” Lt. Gen Akwa said.

This, the CDS said, made cooperation amongst nations, no longer an option, but a necessity.

He said the fact that Ghana was one of the few countries chosen by the Chinese fleet for the visit, showed how the Chinese cherished Ghana’s friendship, adding, “certainly a new frontier in Sino-Ghanaian relations is being opened today with this inaugural visit of the Chinese Naval Ships”.

The Group is commanded by Wu Dongzhu, and ends its visit on Friday, June 8th.

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Video: Chinese Navy vessel arrives in Ghana- Departed from Ghana on June 8, 2018
Ghana Broadcasting Corporation

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28th Chinese naval escort taskforce visits Cameroon

By Zhu Linlin
ChinaMil

DOUALA, June 12, 2018- The 28th escort taskforce of the Chinese PLA Navy arrived at Douala Port, Cameroon on 2018 June 11, local time, for a three-day friendly visit. This is the second leg of its outgoing visit voyages.

The Chinese naval vessels docked at approximately 16:00. Chinese Ambassador to Cameroon Wang Yingwu, Chinese military attaché to Cameroon Chai Xiaojiang, Cameroon naval officers, representatives from China-funded organizations and local overseas Chinese welcomed the taskforce at the port.

The main leaders of Cameroon side and the Chinese Embassy to Cameroon visited the guided-missile frigate Yancheng (Hull 546) while the representatives from China-funded organizations and local overseas Chinese visited the guided-missile frigate Weifang (Hull 550) of the 28th Chinese naval escort taskforce.

During the visit, the commanding officers of the taskforce will call on the military and government officials of Cameroon. They will also visit Cameroon’s naval shipyard constructed with Chinese aid. The naval officers and soldiers of China and Cameroon will also hold professional exchanges and sport competitions.

The 28th Chinese naval escort taskforce left for Cameroon after wrapping up its visit to Ghana. Prior to that, the Chinese naval taskforce and the Ghana Navy carried out joint maritime drills in formation movement, ship-to-ship communications and other subjects, deepening cooperation and exchanges and enhancing mutual trust and friendship.

Located at the southwest coastal plain of Cameroon and 25 kilometers away from the Atlantic Ocean, Douala is the largest port city of Cameroon. Since the establishment of the diplomatic ties between China and Cameroon in 1971, the bilateral relations have been developing steadily. The two countries and two militaries have conducted sincere cooperation in various fields.

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April 6, 2018

Ghana will not offer military base to the United States

AFP

Ghana will not sign an agreement with Washington to set up a military base, President Nana Akufo-Addo said on Thursday.

The president confirmed in a television address that the two countries would ink a defence cooperation agreement, but was emphatic that “Ghana has not offered a military base, and will not offer a military base to the United States of America”.

His comments come after hundreds of people took to the streets of Accra, Ghana’s capital, last Wednesday to protest against a controversial military deal with Washington which was passed by parliament last week.

The protesters have served notice they will take the demonstration to other parts of the country if the president signs the deal.

Critics say the agreement undermines the country’s sovereignty.

Ghana and the US are working to forge closer ties between their armed forces but both have denied rumours that Washington is planning to set up military bases in the West African nation.

“The United States of America has not made any request for such consideration and, consistent with our established foreign policy, we will not consider any such request,” he said.

“I will never be the president that will compromise or sell the sovereignty of our country. I respect deeply the memory of the great patriots whose sacrifice and toil brought about our independence and freedom,” Akufo-Addo assured Ghanaians.

According to the president, who said he was outraged by the position of the main opposition National Democratic Congress, the agreement will benefit not only Ghana, but the West African sub-region.

“In consideration of the realities of our circumstances and the challenges to peace in our region in our time, we have deemed it prudent to continue the Co-operation Agreement with the United States of America.

“It will help enhance our defence capability, and offer an important layer of support in our common effort to protect the peace in our region,” Akufo-Addo added.

In the past decade, the United States has expanded its military presence in Africa, ostensibly to stop the spread of Islamist extremism by groups such as Islamic State, Boko Haram and Al Shabaab on the continent.

Ghana, a major producer of gold and cocoa, prides itself as being a beacon of stability in a region blighted by coups, dictators and corruption.
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Video: President Nana Akufo-Addo explains details regarding the Ghana and United States military cooperation

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Video: Antonio Tujan Jr. states that the United States needs Ghana as a decoy to establish a base in West Africa
Antonio Tujan Jr. is a social activist working on Philippine and International issues for more than 40 years.

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