Will China’s 4 peace principles for tackling African conflicts work?

Beijing has a formula for tackling African conflicts and hot-button issues, and during a meeting this month with Togolese leader Faure Gnassingbe, Chinese President Xi Jinping outlined it in four principles linking peace to development.

The principles entail focusing on African-led security free from outside intervention; upholding sovereignty and UN Charter principles; rejecting force and sanctions and favouring ceasefires through dialogue; and focusing on both immediate security concerns and long-term development.

Asked on Monday whether the principles could be applied to northern Ethiopia and heightened tensions with neighbouring Eritrea, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said they offered “practical guidance” for the Horn of Africa.

Days later, a joint statement following a meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Djiboutian counterpart, Abdoulkader Houssein Omar, said China would continue to play a constructive role in mediating regional disputes through its existing Horn of Africa peace-and-development initiative, subject to the wishes of the countries concerned.