President Xi Jinping told the UN General Assembly on Monday that Beijing would contribute 8,000 troops to a UN peacekeeping standby force, as well as US$1.1 billion to a China-UN peace fund and military assistance for African Union peacekeeping missions.

Xi’s pledges come as China tries to cultivate its image as a responsible international player amid concern over its continuing military build-up and territorial disputes with its Asian neighbours. Beijing has been accused of being a selfish “free rider” in global affairs and practising “new colonialism” in Africa by exploiting the region for its natural resources.

… “China’s growing activities in Africa are interpreted by some [as] China expanding its sphere of influence in those regions,” said Li Mingjiang, of Nanyang Technological University’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. “Xi wanted to address those concerns.”