At whatever cost, China is looking for partners and consumers for its weaponry exports in West Africa as the power of France wanes.

The shift in strategy represented by China's entry into the West African arms industry comes as a surprise to a nation that has traditionally concentrated its efforts on the selling of weapons in other parts of Africa. But Beijing isn't only competing for a part of a new market; in the wake of France's declining clout in West Africa, China is aiming to establish influence and acquire new allies.

According to a report that....