Allo, Allo, We're Back Again

Bloomberg, September 26th 2012

'China offered to support Mali’s military in its fight against Islamist rebels who have seized northern parts of the country, said Guo Xueli, charge d’ affaires at the Chinese Embassy. “China firmly supports the position of Mali. We are going to bring our assistance to the extent possible, specifically in the military where we already have a very old cooperation.”'

Let China help out, militarily? No chance.
The Chinese have already got their mitts on a lot of the resources that are available in North Africa and they are driving up  prices everywhere.
North Africa is France’s backyard, not China’s.
French troops have intervened in Africa over fifty times in the fifty years or so since Africa was ‘liberated’ from French colonial power, the last time being last year in Ivory Coast.
Step 1: Foment long standing rebellion amongst the Tuaregs of Northern Mali.
Step 2: Arrange for NATO trained soldier to overthrow the government of Mali.
Stage 3: Local Islamists and foreign fighters take control of separatist areas (May 2012).
Horror stories emerge, amputations, executions, destruction of World Heritage Sites and so on.
Stage 4: Mali on brink of collapse. Send for the (French) cavalry.

Once again Islamists are used to destabilize a country and to justify a Western military presence.
From now on the government of Mali will be signing contracts that are very favourable to the NATO military bureaucratic complex.
As for the Chinese, they had better learn their place.