BBC Chinese recently reported that Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh told the media that China will soon begin construction work on China’s naval base. The Northeast African country of Djibouti is located on the west bank of the Gulf of Aden, which holds the entrance to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. It’s a country with strategic geographic importance. Both the United States and France have naval bases in Djibouti, which supports the mission of battling the Somali pirates. However, Djibouti is one of the poorest countries in Africa. It is expecting to attract US$12.4 billion in investments in order to achieve the goal of becoming an international transportation hub. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs once explained that China’s plan in Djibouti also involves providing logistic supplies to its fleets fighting the pirates. At this moment, there are no further details on the timing of the construction and on the scale of China’s personnel deployment.
Source: BBC Chinese, February 3, 2016
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/world/2016/02/160203_djibouti_china_military_base