Djibouti Home Base

CHINAS naval logistics support base in Djibouti was officially launched by Shen Jinlong， Commander of the Peoples Liberation Army （PLA） Navy on July 11， when he gave the order for two navy vessels carrying military personnel to sail out of the countrys southern port of Zhanjiang and head for Djibouti， the small nation on the Horn of Africa.

The establishment of the base in Djibouti was a decision made by the two countries after friendly negotiations， and accords with the common interest of the people from both sides， according to the PLA Navy.

China joins the United States， France and Japan， who all have military bases in Djibouti， a former French colony with a population of less than 1 million. Djibouti is situated adjacent to the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait， one of the worlds busiest shipping routes， that connects to both the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden - notorious for pirate attacks.

While the move is broadly seen by many Western observers as a willful move by China to expand its military presence in East Africa， Geng Shuang， Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs， maintained that the base will allow China to make greater contributions to the peace and stability in Africa and the world as a whole.

“China is committed to peaceful development. Chinas defense policy is defensive in nature. This has not changed，” he said.

The base is expected to play a vital role in Chinas missions in Africa， which include its UN peace-keeping efforts and humanitarian assistance on the continent. China has the largest number of blue-beret peace-keepers among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council， with high numbers of troops stationed in South Sudan， Liberia and Mali. In addition， the base will also help increase Chinas ability to protect its growing number of citizens who now call Africa home in cases of emergency where Chinese citizens may need help in returning home.

The base is also primarily used for the better fulfilment of international obligations， mainly， supporting the Chinese Navy to fulfill its anti-piracy mission in escorting commercial vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Somalia waters. According to UN resolutions， starting 2008， China has been sending fleets to the Gulf of Aden and Somalia waters to escort commercial vessels from being attacked by pirates. As of early July， China has sent 22，000 troops and 83 fleets in 26 batches on this mission. However， Chinese fleets faced great difficulties in food and oil supply. Geng noted that Djibouti provided logistic support on many occasions in the past.

It makes logical sense for China， with its global outlook， to play a greater peace-keeping role by having a base on the continent， given its increasing economic interests there. And clearly the protection of these interests in no way impinges on the rights of others.

Chinas relationships with other countries are always on an equal partnership footing and the Djibouti base is likely to not only provide a fulcrum for Chinas own security in Africa， but also assist with security of the Horn of Africa in general， which can boost its economic development.