China upgrades Djibouti base, potentially boosting monitoring — Daily Maverick
China has upgraded its military base in Djibouti, installing new antennas, satellite communications equipment and other facilities. As Daily Maverick reports, the U.S. think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) reached this conclusion based on commercial satellite imagery.
New communications complexes
According to CSIS, two new communications complexes that have appeared at the base since mid-2024 are likely part of a broader military command and intelligence architecture. They could strengthen communications between Chinese forces operating in the Middle East and Africa and military command in China.
The report says that the different types and orientation of the new equipment make it possible to transmit and detect signals across a wide range of frequencies. CSIS analysts believe this could provide China with a much more complete picture of the operational situation in the region.
Strategic location of the base
The base in Djibouti, which opened in 2017, is a key hub for Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy operations in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. It is China’s only officially recognized overseas military base. It is located near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the most important chokepoints in global maritime trade.
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CSIS believes the new facilities will likely enable the Chinese military to track the activities of other militaries nearby, although analysts could not determine whether communications are actively being intercepted there. U.S., French, Italian and Japanese bases operate less than 16 kilometers from the Chinese base.
The report also says that China could potentially obtain useful information even by observing the direction, origin, frequency and pace of encrypted military signals. According to CSIS, the activities of the Houthis, Iran, the United States and Israel in the region have increased the potential value of the base’s intelligence capabilities.
China’s Foreign Ministry said it was unaware of the specific situation described in the report. Ministry spokesperson Guo Jian said that China intends to play a constructive role in maintaining regional peace and stability.
