New Equipment and Expanded Capabilities
A report issued Thursday by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank based in Washington, says China has upgraded its Djibouti military base by adding antennas, satellite communications gear and other equipment. Drawing on commercial satellite imagery, the report concludes these additions ought to substantially expand Beijing's capacity to track military activity throughout the Middle East and Africa. The installation is the sole overseas military base China officially acknowledges.[S1]
Since the middle of 2024, two additional communications compounds have shown up at the site, the report says. According to the report, they probably belong to a wider intelligence and military command structure, and they would improve links between Chinese forces active in the Middle East and Africa and military headquarters back in China. The report adds that the new equipment comes in various types and orientations, allowing it to send and pick up a broad spectrum of signals and frequencies.[S1]
Strategic Location and Regional Impact
Opened in 2017, the base functions as an important center for Chinese naval activity in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. Its position sits close to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a vital chokepoint for global maritime commerce. The report says the base's capabilities have kept developing over the years, permitting ever more advanced operations and giving China's People's Liberation Army Navy a steadily expanding presence in the area.[S1]
The report says the facilities would probably let China's military keep tabs on other militaries active in the vicinity, although whether they are actually intercepting communications cannot be established. Bases run by the United States, France, Italy and Japan all lie within 10 miles (16 km) of the Chinese site. Even encrypted military traffic might yield useful information, the report suggests, with observations of signal direction, origin, frequency and tempo offering valuable insight into U.S. and other forces' operations.[S1]
The report further suggests the installation could aid Chinese attempts to broaden its presence in Africa, a continent where Beijing has gradually deepened its economic and security involvement. China's embassy in Washington did not provide an immediate response when asked to comment on the report.[S1]
