China builds first overseas military base near Ethiopia for ships, helicopters and special forces in quest to become naval superpower
Satellite images show advanced construction on a 90-acre plot on the pirate-infested Horn of Africa
China is building its first overseas military base in Africa in its a quest to become a naval superpower.
Satellite images show advanced construction on a 90-acre plot in Djibouti on the pirate-infested Horn of Africa.
The naval outpost, which is due for completion next year, is expected to feature weapons stores, ship and helicopter maintenance facilities and possibly special forces.
Camel herders first spotted Chinese troops staking out a patch of coastal scrubland, around eight miles from the largest U.S. military base in Africa.
The new cluster of buildings and shipping containers, some flying the Chinese flag, now offers the first real sign of China’s ambition to extend its military reach across the Indian Ocean and beyond.
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Experts say that expansion could challenge Western security partnerships that have underpinned the world order since 1945, it was reported by the .
It also comes as world tensions mount over Beijing island-snatching in the South China Sea which has seen it build military bases in the hotly contested waters despite a UN tribunal ruling.
Admiral Sun Jianguo, the deputy chief of the joint staff department and likely future naval chief, signalled China’s intentions in April.
Writing in a Communist Party magazine, he said steadily advancing overseas base construction’ was one of President Xi Jinping’s foreign-policy priorities.
Only a few countries have bases beyond their borders: the U.S. has the most with 42 followed by Britain, France and Russia with around a dozen.
China says the Djibouti base is just a ‘support facility’ and denies plans to build large-scale U.S-style military hubs.
But it has spoken about negotiating more overseas outposts, with the Pentagon predicting China will establish several more in the next decade.
One likely spot is Oman’s port of Salalah, where Chinese navy ships often stop for rest and resupply, say defence experts.
Other possibilities include the Seychelles and Pakistan’s port of Karachi.
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