China and several African nations are strengthening security collaboration to combat a surge in cross-border cybercrime, encompassing activities such as online gambling, SIM swapping, and telecom fraud. This development reflects growing cooperation in law enforcement aimed at addressing shared transnational threats.
On September 10, China hosted East African security ministers and police chiefs in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, for discussions covering issues including terrorism, kidnapping, and online fraud. During the meeting, China launched the International Alliance Combating Telecom and Cyber Fraud, with 46 founding members, among them Kenya. The alliance also involves 34 observer states, the United Nations, and Interpol.
Chinese authorities have cited the need to protect Chinese citizens, businesses, and infrastructure in Africa as a key driver behind these security initiatives. African governments, for their part, are seeking enhanced access to police training, technological resources, and intelligence sharing to better tackle cybercrime challenges.
Experts view this cooperation as part of China’s broader Global Security Initiative, which aims to deepen Beijing’s engagement with Africa on security matters. Alessandro Arduino, an associate fellow at Britain’s Royal United Services Institute, noted that cyberfraud’s transnational nature and its impact on Chinese investments make it a strategic entry point for China’s expanded role in the continent’s security landscape. Through established multilateral channels such as Interpol, as well as new China-led mechanisms, Beijing is promoting coordinated law enforcement and intelligence cooperation.
On the operational side, China has been intensifying training programs for African police and security personnel, integrating capacity building as a formal element of China-Africa security agreements. This strategy allows China to extend its influence quietly, without formal military alliances or significant troop deployments.
Recent incidents highlight the widespread nature of cybercrime affecting both Chinese nationals and local populations. In eSwatini, a crackdown on illegal online gambling in March led to the arrest of 40 Chinese nationals, many still detained as of late August. Similarly, Zambian authorities detained 79 individuals, including 11 Chinese nationals, in August for suspected cybercrime linked to Lusaka. In Kenya, four Chinese nationals were charged in Nairobi in early September over alleged SIM swapping and money laundering.
African jobseekers have also become targets of fraud networks that lure victims with false job offers to scam operations in Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. Kenyan officials reported that hundreds of citizens have been rescued from such compounds in recent years.
China has signed numerous public security and law enforcement agreements with African countries, reflecting a growing recognition that cybercrime, human trafficking, kidnapping, and related transnational crimes require coordinated global responses. Liselotte Odgaard, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, commented that while China’s new alliance is unlikely to supplant established policing organizations in the near term, it aims to complement them and could eventually evolve into a China-led security platform. She noted the alliance’s formation enhances Beijing’s ability to set the agenda for transnational law enforcement cooperation, training, and technology transfer.