ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights a potential area where closer partnership between EU, China and their African partners would be great benefit to improving security on the continent. It provides an overview of the different manifestations of conflict and insecurity on the African continent, highlighting that small arms and light weapons (SALW) proliferation is a problem that links them all. The chapter establishes the context for cooperation outlines some of the commitments China made to support African security and explores the degree to which these pledges have been met. It focuses on more specifically at commitments made by both China and EU to assist African countries in tackling SALW proliferation and stresses that confronting the problem presents an opportunity for closer cooperation. More specifically to SALW, is the fact that China's commitments made in 2006 Beijing Action Plan were never implemented, while SALW are not even referred to in the 2009 Sharm El Sheik Action Plan.
