Chinese People's Liberation Army Support Base in Djibouti


The Chinese People's Liberation Army Support Base in Djibouti is a military base operated by the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, located in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa. It is the PLAN's first overseas military base and was built at a cost of. The facility is expected to significantly increase China's power projection capabilities in the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean. As of 2017, the base commander is Liang Yang.
Djibouti is strategically situated by the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which separates the Gulf of Aden from the Red Sea and guards the approaches to the Suez Canal. The Chinese base is located by the Chinese-operated Port of Doraleh to the west of Djibouti City. To the south of the city are several other foreign military bases, including Camp Lemonnier, Base aerienne 188, and the Japan Self-Defense Force Base Djibouti.

History

Negotiations for China to create a strategic base in Djibouti began with President Ismail Omar Guelleh in approximately 2015. Negotiations were concluded in January 2016, with China and Djibouti having "reached consensus" on the construction of naval facilities.
On July 11, 2017, the People’s Liberation Army Navy dispatched ships from the South Sea Fleet in Zhanjiang to open the base officially. The base was formally opened on August 1, 2017. The first live fire exercises were conducted on September 22, 2017.
Around May 2018, China began constructing a large-scale pier at the base.

Function

China has stated that the facility will serve primarily to support military logistics for Chinese troops in the Gulf of Aden, and peacekeeping and humanitarian operations in Africa. It also bolsters the Chinese navy's efforts to prevent piracy on high seas.
The base is in size and staffed by approximately 400 personnel. The base has a 400m runway with an air traffic control tower. The base also houses the PLA Support Base Hospital in Djibouti.

Tensions with foreign militaries

The presence of a Chinese base in close proximity to a US base has created geopolitical tensions. The United States had blocked a Russian base in 2014 and started a upgrade of Camp Lemonnier. US government officials were "blindsided" by Djibouti's approval of a Chinese base just two years later. Djiboutian President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh claimed that the United States had a "fixation" about the Chinese base and complained "incessantly" that the Chinese were hampering their operations. He also said that the Japanese were even more worried than the Americans. Guelleh said that the Chinese would have no problem cohabiting with Western powers if they didn't "spy constantly" on the Chinese.
According to Chinese prosecutor Jian Jiamin, the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force sent divers to approach a Chinese warship while it was docked at the base, who were detected and driven off.
In 2018, the United States Department of Defense issued a NOTAM reporting instances of laser attacks against pilots flying near the base. The Chinese Defense Ministry called the accusations "untrue" and asked the United States "to not swiftly speculate or make accusations."