Talks over more facilities in Djibouti for Chinese missions
Print Edition
CHINA’S military is in talks with Djibouti, a country on the Horn of Africa, to build logistics facilities to support Chinese peacekeeping and anti-piracy missions, the foreign and defense ministries said yesterday.
In May, Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh told French media his government was in talks with China about a military facility, adding that China’s presence would be welcome in the former French colony, which borders Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the facilities would mainly provide logistics services to resolve issues related to fueling, rest and reorganization of troops and food supplies.
“The construction of the relevant facilities will help China’s navy and army further participate in UN peacekeeping operations, carry out escort missions in the waters near Somalia and the Gulf of Aden, and provide humanitarian assistance,” he told reporters at a daily news briefing in Beijing yesterday.
“It will help China’s military further carry out its international responsibilities to safeguard global and regional peace and stability.”
Defense ministry spokesman Wu Qian, speaking at a monthly news conference, said that China wanted to play a greater role in ensuring regional peace and stability.
“Maintaining regional peace and stability accords with the interests of both countries,” Wu said, without elaborating.
Earlier this month, a senior Chinese military officer visited Djibouti, where he inspected a Chinese warship taking part in anti-piracy patrols.
The United States and France already have bases in the country and its port has been used by foreign navies, including China’s, participating in the fight against Somali pirates.
In an effort to allay fears about Chinese plans connected to its increasingly modern and confident military, China has repeatedly said it does not want military bases abroad.
Chinese ships have undertaken anti-piracy operations off Somalia since late 2008, and in early 2010 China agreed to join the multi-nation effort to protect shipping in the Gulf of Aden and nearby Indian Ocean.
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