PLA hosts leaders of African navies

In a bid to bolster collaborative maritime security efforts, China's People's Liberation Army Navy convened naval leaders from 18 countries across the Gulf of Guinea region in Shanghai on Wednesday for the second seminar on the Gulf of Guinea maritime security situation.

The two-day seminar aims to deepen strategic trust and pragmatic cooperation between the PLA Navy and its African counterparts in tackling challenges in the gulf.

At the opening ceremony, PLA Navy Commander Hu Zhongming highlighted the fruitful results achieved through existing cooperation between the Chinese navy and African naval forces, underscoring the global significance of joint efforts.

"The Gulf of Guinea's security and stability is crucial not just for countries in the region and Africa, but for the entire world," Hu said. "We must join hands to build a bay of friendship, cooperation, prosperity and security through enhanced multilevel exchanges, joint operations and cooperation across domains."

Hu stressed that the seminar exemplified the vision of forging an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future. He also reaffirmed China's commitment to seeking collaborative security solutions under this unified framework.

"The Chinese navy is willing to work with friends from the Gulf of Guinea to jointly contribute our wisdom and strength in promoting greater peace, security, stability and prosperity in the region," Hu added.

Nigerian Navy Vice-Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla welcomed China's role as "a global actor and player in maritime security" whose cooperation can bolster prosperity in the region.

"Safety and security in the maritime domain is a shared responsibility with no borders at sea," Ogalla said. "Collaborating with the Chinese navy will definitely improve the situation in the Gulf of Guinea, and enhance economic stability and prosperity for our region and globally."

He underscored the importance of information sharing and capacity-building initiatives to align efforts toward "achieving our desired objectives" in line with Nigeria's development agenda.

Charles Hubert Bekale Meyong, chief of Naval Staff for the National Navy of Gabon, also commended the diverse avenues of existing China-Africa defense cooperation, from personnel exchanges to joint naval drills and Chinese support in supplying patrol ships.

"We are looking forward to discussing information sharing, maritime supervision and personnel training during this seminar," he said. "We wish to collaborate with China and other nations to address maritime security issues and better maintain and raise the security level in the Gulf of Guinea."

As China and Gabon celebrate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties this year, he voiced hopes for "deeper all-around cooperation, especially stronger naval engagement" between the two nations.