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China Projects Its Power in the Red Sea

(Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies-Bar-Ilan University) Gideon Elazar - China has opened its first overseas naval base in Djibouti at the Horn of Africa. Its purpose is to "ensure China's performance of missions, such as escorting, peace-keeping and humanitarian aid in Africa and west Asia...[and] maintaining security of international strategic seaways." Clearly, it is crucial for Beijing to protect its flow of resources. Half the oil imported by China goes through the Mandeb Strait, and most Chinese exports to Europe are transported through the Gulf of Aden and Suez Canal. According to the agreement between Beijing and Djibouti, which is valid at least until 2026, the base may contain as many as 10,000 troops. The establishment of the Djibouti base is clearly an act of Chinese power projection and an expression of China's expanding interests in Africa and the Middle East. A recent editorial in the Chinese state-run Global Times stressed that the base "is not a commercial resupply point" but rather a military installation containing Chinese troops. At the same time, Chinese media have been careful to note that the base does not imply a drive towards world hegemony. China's Djibouti base is located only a few miles from Camp Lemonnier, the largest American base in the region and the only permanent American base in Africa. Dr. Gideon Elazar is a lecturer at Bar-Ilan University and a postdoctoral fellow at Ben-Gurion University specializing in Asian Studies.
2017-08-25 00:00:00
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