China's economic interest in Africa has been drawing increased attention from the West. But now Beijing is prepared to go even further by increasing its military presence on the continent.

Rwanda's Defence Minister, Gen. James Kabarebe, met on Tuesday with China's ambassador to Rwanda, Sun Shuzhong, according to a report from the Rwandan daily The New Times.

Sun said he discussed military cooperation with Kabarebe, telling journalists that the forces of Rwanda and China intend to improve existing levels of cooperation in training and logistics.

"I am here to talk about some future plans between the two armies. We have training programs coming up where Rwandans soldiers go to China for training. The Chinese government supports capacity building plans for the Rwandan army. It is very important for us to have this kind of cooperation."

Sun added that China is not only focusing on economic development in Africa, but also on security matters such as peacekeeping.

A delegation from Rwanda has been invited by the Chinese government on a fact-finding mission in China.

"We have always had good relations with China, so that visit will be aimed at discussing ways of strengthening the existing cooperation. For instance, this year, China will train 21 Rwandan officers. That's not all, most of the equipment we use on the peacekeeping mission is obtained from China as well as other non-military equipment like emergency boats on Lake Kivu and the speed boats used to counter smuggling" said Rwandan Defense Ministry spokesperson Lt. Col. Jill Rutaremara

China has invested massively in Africa over the last decade. In 2000 China-African bilateral trade was roughly $11 billion. It is expected to top $100 billion by the end of this year.

However, Chinese investment is seen as a double-edged sword for indigenous African economies. Local businesses are finding it harder to compete with the Chinese. For example there are now only 10 textile factories in Kenya compared with 200 in 2005.

Source: Africa News