Chinese Navy expanding base in Africa, satellite images confirm

Chinese Navy expanding base in Africa, satellite images confirm Chinese Navy expanding base in Africa, satellite images confirm
The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has stepped up its operations at a base in Africa, as evidenced by satellite imagery. The images show... Chinese Navy expanding base in Africa, satellite images confirm

The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has stepped up its operations at a base in Africa, as evidenced by satellite imagery.

The images show a large increase in activity and construction in Djibouti, one of several African nations that have decided to take PLA expansion seriously in exchange for infrastructure projects.

The base, which was opened in 2017, is still being constructed, and several of the piers have been undergoing construction since that time. One pier, around 1,120-feet long, was finished sometime late last year, and matches the length requirements for the Liaoning aircraft carrier and several assault ships.

Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) analyst Detresfa released the images on Twitter earlier over the weekend.

“The naval docking project nearing completion, extending 400+ meters from the causeway, the pier sits in deep waters capable of docking most of the PLAN inventory,” the analyst wrote.

While the US Navy maintains a presence in Africa (and the US has a base in Djibouti as well) it is unknown if the expansion of the base will interfere with US Naval operations.

Empowered by their expanding military, China has continued to attempt force projection beyond Asian waters, and has begun making a more open military patrol presence in waters as far off as the Gulf of Aden.

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