Serious analysis for a dangerous world: https://fronts.co Inside China’s global mercenary network — from Belt and Road security to proxy wars in Myanmar and Sudan. Plus: can democracies survive rising authoritarianism? Stay ahead of global conflicts with WarFronts Weekly. Get sharp, no-nonsense military analysis straight to your inbox. Subscribe: https://subscribepage.io/WarFrontsWeekly Get full conflict briefings, and members-only analysis at fronts.co https://fronts.co Join the community and discuss current flashpoints in real time: https://www.reddit.com/r/frontsco Love the content? Explore Simon's other YouTube channels: Megaprojects: https://www.youtube.com/@megaprojects9649 SideProjects: https://www.youtube.com/@Sideprojects Into The Shadows: https://www.youtube.com/@IntotheShadows Today I Found Out: https://www.youtube.com/@TodayIFoundOut Brain Blaze: https://www.youtube.com/@brainblaze6526 Casual Criminalist: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCasualCriminalist Decoding the Unknown: https://www.youtube.com/@decodingtheunknown2373 Places: https://www.youtube.com/@Places302 Celestium: https://www.youtube.com/@celestium1234 PoliticalFronts: http://www.youtube.com/@politicalfronts Simon on social: Twitter: https://twitter.com/SimonWhistler Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonwhistler/ 00:00 Introduction 00:44 China’s Growing Use of PMCs 08:48 Can Democracies Survive? 11:14 Behind the Scenes 12:50 Ranking History’s Dictators 15:58 Hostage Situations References China Mercenaries https://carnegieendowment.org/posts/2024/07/china-private-security-central-asia?lang=en https://www.csis.org/analysis/stealth-industry-quiet-expansion-chinese-private-security-companies https://warontherocks.com/2023/12/chinese-private-security-companies-neither-blackwater-nor-the-wagner-group/ https://www.stimson.org/2025/access-without-troops-the-rise-of-private-security-in-southeast-asia/ https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/chinas-wagner-beijing-establishes-private-security-company-in-myanmar/ https://www.gisreportsonline.com/r/china-africa-military-private-security/ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/10/russia-social-media-ads-videos-recruiting-china-mercenaries#:~:text='Do%20you%20want%20to%20show,Chinese%20mercenaries%20%7C%20Ukraine%20%7C%20The%20Guardian https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/29/europe/chinese-fighters-russia-ukraine-dst-intl-hnk#:~:text=Another%20Chinese%20national%20who%20said,a%20major%20factor%20for%20him. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/20/i-was-doing-nothing-at-home-the-chinese-nationals-fighting-for-ukraine https://jamestown.org/program/guns-for-hire-private-security-and-mercenary-industries-in-china-and-russia/ https://mwi.westpoint.edu/beijings-blue-helmets-what-to-make-of-chinas-role-in-un-peacekeeping-in-africa/ https://www.cfr.org/blog/review-wa-myanmar-and-chinas-quest-global-dominance-bertil-lintner https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-backed-militia-secures-control-new-rare-earth-mines-myanmar-2025-06-12/ https://greydynamics.com/the-united-wa-state-party-myanmars-most-powerful-ethnic-army/ https://inss.ndu.edu/Media/News/Article/4280244/chinas-military-diplomacy-in-africa/ https://africacenter.org/spotlight/militarization-china-africa-policy/ https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/issue-brief/addressing-chinas-military-expansion-in-west-africa-and-beyond/ https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-ukraine-why-colombian-mercenaries-keep-fighting-foreign-wars https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/08/colombian-mercenaries-sudan-war https://thedefensepost.com/2025/05/09/amnesty-uae-sudan-rsf-weapons/ https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2025/09/05/long-sought-manufacturing-gains-are-boosting-north-korea-arms-buildup/ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/13/china-key-to-preventing-possible-russia-north-korea-arms-deal-expert-says