The U.S. is assembling an economic and security assistance package for Gabon in a bid to prevent China from establishing a military footprint in the strategically positioned Central African nation, according to people familiar with the matter.
The agreement will include training for Gabon¡¯s special forces and $5 million in funding for the country¡¯s democratic transition, according to the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private information. The U.S. has in recent years tried to chip away at China¡¯s role as the dominant foreign power in Africa, but has yet to match Beijing¡¯s financial largess ¡ª including another $50 billion pledged this week ¡ª and is widely regarded as not having treated the continent as a strategic priority.
On Thursday, at the ninth triennial Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing, Chinese leader Xi Jinping also pledged to deepen China¡¯s military commitment, announcing 1 billion yuan ($141 million) in military assistance to train 6,000 military personnel and another 1,000 law-enforcement officers in Africa.
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