China to Build Military Logistics Base at Djibouti

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China to Build Military Logistics Base at Djibouti

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BEIJING: China today acknowledged that it plans to build a "logistics centre" for its military in the African port city of Djibouti for its naval ships and troops on escort missions in the piracy-infested Gulf of Aden, bolstering its foothold in the strategic Indian Ocean region.
"China and Djibouti are discussing about a logistics centre. It is aimed to provide better facilities so that the personnel on Chinese vessels can get better rest and replenishments,"
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said responding to US claims that China is building its first military base in Africa to"extend its reach".
The logistics centre will enable Chinese vessels and personnel on escort duty to better fulfil international obligations especially on UN peacekeeping missions, Hong said.
Djibouti is strategically located near the world's busiest shipping lanes, controlling access to the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. It serves as a key refuelling and transshipment centre, and is the principal maritime port for imports to and exports from neighbouring Ethiopia.
Chinese defence ministry also came out with a similar reaction today. Hong said since 2008 China has dispatched over 60 vessels in 21 missions to the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia for escort missions to counter piracy as per UN resolutions.
"During these operations we find they meet difficulties in getting rest and replenishment and supplies. Therefore we need to provide better service in this regard. China and Djibouti are friendly countries. Now we are having consultations on building up these logistics facilities," he said.
China also uses the Seychelles in Ocean as a logistics base saying that it is meant for supply and stopover for its anti-piracy missions. Beijing has also invested in two major ports - Hambantota and Colombo - in Sri Lanka.
In the Arabian Sea, China has taken over the Pakistani port of Gwadar as part of its development of the USD 46 billion China- Pakistan Economic Corridor.
China in the past has consistently denied building military bases outside its territory.
But with its first refurbished aircraft carrier in operation and with two more under construction,
analysts say that China is on the lookout for bigger port facilities in Asia and Africa. It also comes at a time China's outreach to Africa both in terms of trade and investments surpasses the US and India.
Analysts say that military base in Africa would be cheaper than temporary arrangements for docking ships at Djibouti. It comes with an airfield which would enhance Chinese military's intelligence gathering in Africa and parts of the Middle East enhancing Beijing's stature as a protector of African nations.
China has already cemented its foothold in the Ocean by signing contracts with the UN- backed International Seabed Authority (ISA) in 2011 to gain rights to explore polymetallic sulphide ore deposit in Indian Ocean over the next 15 years to explore 10,000 sq km of international seabed.







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Sameet2

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In this era of globalization , All countries are living there imprint of military powers so as to get some strategically advantage over one another .

The value location of Djibouti worries me a lot that why china wants to have imprint here ?
 

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In this era of globalization , All countries are living there imprint of military powers so as to get some strategically advantage over one another .

The value location of Djibouti worries me a lot that why china wants to have imprint here ?
Every great power tries to influence different regions to project their power in that region.
Yet India too have such many projections like China but their port at Djibouti hits our nerve.
Better for us to try to have such port at East or South China sea just like China is increasing its presence in Indian Ocean.
We barely have some military influence with small countries like Vietnam and Taiwan and our security agreement with Japan is only pact which gives us some capability to have a great presence. We need to go for a lot more.
 

J.A.

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Hoe many troops of Chinese war time of Army and Navy ??
 

Abhijat

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China with this move have , have successfully taken care of one of the choke point for EU nations. With suez being monitored by Russia , only 3 more major chokepoints are left. Indeed those who captures Sea route will rule the World
 

J.A.

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Good news.

2 million it is be in professional Armed Forces.

Nobody knows 1.8 million it is at least 2 million.
 

amoy

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Separately I posted the rail link from Port Djibouti to Addis Ababa that Chincese recently completed providing landlocked Ethiopia with improved railroad access to the sea. In 2011, Ethiopia accounted for 70% of the trade through the port of Djibouti.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addis_Ababa-Djibouti_Railway

Ethiopia is very cozy with China. The Hqtrs building of the Afican Union was gifted by Chinese in Addis Ababa.

~~Still waters run deep. ~~from my MiPad using tapatalk
 

amoy

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Good news.

2 million it is be in professional Armed Forces.

Nobody knows 1.8 million it is at least 2 million.
Chinese military will cut forces by 300,000

~~Still waters run deep. ~~from my MiPad using tapatalk
 

no smoking

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Every great power tries to influence different regions to project their power in that region.
No, great power only tries to influence the regions where she has great national interest.

Yet India too have such many projections like China but their port at Djibouti hits our nerve. Better for us to try to have such port at East or South China sea just like China is increasing its presence in Indian Ocean.
The reason you don't have much interest under threat in this region. Your number 1 "rival" in this area happens to be your No.1 trading partner in this area too. In other words, your potential enemy is more interested in protecting your interest rather than threatening it.

More importantly, your no.1 "enemy" navy is checked by world No.1 navy in this area. They don't have spare fleet to threat you in this region.

We barely have some military influence with small countries like Vietnam and Taiwan and our security agreement with Japan is only pact which gives us some capability to have a great presence. We need to go for a lot more.
The problem is everyone here wants to take a free ride of you. But your government is not stupid enough to do it.
 

amoy

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Outpost in Djibouti 'to help fleets'
(China Daily) 11:24, February 05, 2016

Chinese Navy soldiers observe from China's amphibious landing ship Changbaishan duringan escort mission in the Gulf of Aden, Aug 26, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh was quoted by Reuters on Wednesday as saying that China was expected to start work on the facility soon.

The Foreign Ministry said China had sent escort fleets to the Gulf of Aden and Somalia inrecent years, and these fleets had experienced difficulties that affected the "rest and reorganization of servicemen and the supply of oil".

"It (the outpost) is essential to implement highly efficient logistical support," the ministry said.

In December, the Ministry of National Defense confirmed that China and Djibouti had reached agreement on the outpost. Military bases and support facilities for countriesincluding the United States and France have long been based in Djibouti.

Djibouti's Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf told Reuters, "We understand that some Western countries have worries about China's willingness to have military outposts outside of China." He said that Western countries should not be concerned.

Djibouti is a pivotal country in the Horn of Africa standing between the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. It is a key transfer stop for international humanitarian missions, including those of the United Nations.

Yin Zhuo, director of the People's Liberation Army Navy's Expert Consultation Committee,estimated that a Chinese fleet patrolling waters in the region has to feed about 800 staffmembers every day. A single mission, which lasts on average for 120 days, places a huge demand on food and water supplies.

Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway

The Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway is a standard gauge railway that links Addis Ababa with the port of Djibouti, providinglandlocked Ethiopia with improved railroad access to the sea. In 2011, Ethiopia accounted for 70% of the trade through the port of Djibouti.[1]

The railroad was approximately 87% complete as of October 2015 and had been expected to go into operation in 2016.[2][3] Due to the drought in Ethiopia, opening was pushed forward and a first freight train used this line 20 November 2015 carrying grain along the partially completed line to Merebe Mermersa, 112 km south of Addis Ababa using a diesel locomotive.[4][5] The prime contractors were the China Railway Group and the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation. Financing for the new line was provided by the Exim Bank of China, the China Development Bank, and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.[6]
 

amoy

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Chinese-built railway helps propel Ethiopia's industrialization drive
Source: Xinhua | 2016-10-02 18:06:11 | Editor: huaxia
Chinese locomotive driver Liu Ji (R) trains his Ethiopian counterparts at a railway station in suburban Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Oct. 1, 2016. A Chinese-built railway linking the Ethiopian capital and the port of Djibouti is expected to help the landlocked African country improve access to the sea and speed up a burgeoning industrialization process. The railway, which is set to become fully operational on Oct. 5, will be Africa's first modern electrified railway. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese-built railway linking the Ethiopian capital and the port of Djibouti is expected to help the landlocked African country improve access to the sea and speed up a burgeoning industrialization process.

The railway, which is set to become fully operational on October 5, will be Africa's first modern electrified railway.

The full length of the railway is 752.7 kilometers, with a designed speed of 120 km per hour. With a total investment of 4 billion U.S. dollars, it is being constructed by the China Railway Group and the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.

"The railway is constructed on the basis of Chinese railway technology standards while taking into account the national conditions of Ethiopia and Djibouti," said Zeng Deli, a project manager of the China Railway Group, to Xinhua.

It was designed and constructed in a most economical way, taking only six years for its final completion, which should be viewed as some kind of miracle even in China, Zeng said.

For the Chinese contractors, the construction of a railway with a designed speed of 120 km per hour is not difficult. But it takes nothing short of a great feat to complete it with no compromise on quality and timeliness when there are inadequate construction materials and technical staff in Ethiopia.

With careful planning and patient coordination, the Chinese firms managed to make sure construction materials imported from abroad arrived on time. To ensure good quality and no delay in construction, they even took the pains to manufacture the materials themselves, despite their higher cost.

For the Chinese firms, a lack of local technical personnel with adequate railway technology knowledge is a more serious problem.

For example, it took 20,000 workers to complete a specific section of the railway, and it would be impossible to have the posts filled all by Chinese, said Fu Xun, another project manager with the China Railway Group.

To tackle the challenge, the Chinese firms made the training of local technical workers a daily routine of their operations in Ethiopia. For the past few years, more than 15,000 local workers went through various training programs, thus ensuring enough manpower for railway construction and a talent reserve for future management of railway operations.

To protect its precious wildlife resources along the railway, the Ethiopian government set a high environmental protection protocol. To meet these high ecological standards, the Chinese companies did their best not to alter the original landscape along the railway. They also spent more than 4 million U.S. dollars to build overpasses specially designed for safe animal crossover.

The modern standard-gauge Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway runs parallel to a decrepit meter-gauge version built over 100 years ago by Europeans. Over 90 percent of Ethiopia's imports and exports, in particular energy and food, are made via the sea port of Djibouti. The capacity of the current road system has long been overwhelmed.

When the new railway becomes operational, transport time from Djibouti to the Ethiopian capital will be reduced from 7 days to ten hours.

Besides faster transport, the Chinese firms have an even greater ambition. That is, the railway will serve as a catalyst for Ethiopia's national economic development.

They put forward industrial planning recommendations to the Ethiopian government, including the establishment of industrial parks in key cities, so that better transport benefits will be ensured in the middle and long run.

The Ethiopian government endorsed the suggestions and put the railway into a key project category of its five-year national development plan. Industrial parks will be established in regional hub cities along the railway.

With improved transportation, the country will gradually transform an industrial model of exporting basic materials into one that focuses on deep processing. As a result, the country's industrialization level will be elevated.

The Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway is only one of many major projects currently under way in the framework of China-Africa cooperation.

Following the successful Johannesburg summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in December last year, China has been deepening and expanding the scope of its industrial capacity cooperation with Africa.


A local man takes photos of the new railway which is Africa's first modern electrified railway in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Oct. 1, 2016. The Chinese-built railway linking the Ethiopian capital and the port of Djibouti is expected to help the landlocked African country improve access to the sea and speed up a burgeoning industrialization process. The railway, which is set to become fully operational on Oct. 5, will be Africa's first modern electrified railway. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)


Ethiopian attendants receive training at a railway station in suburban Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Oct. 1, 2016. A Chinese-built railway linking the Ethiopian capital and the port of Djibouti is expected to help the landlocked African country improve access to the sea and speed up a burgeoning industrialization process. The railway, which is set to become fully operational on Oct. 5, will be Africa's first modern electrified railway. (Xinhua/Li Baishun)

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-10/02/c_135729064.htm
 

amoy

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China-funded Djibouti Free Trade Zone starts construction

2017-01-18 17:00:51 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Guo Jing


Construction on the China-funded Djibouti Free Trade Zone started on Monday, reported Global Times.

China's largest public port operator, Dalian Port Corporation Limited, is building the free trade zone with a total primary investment of 340 million US dollars. The Djibouti Ports and Free Zone Authority and China Merchants Holdings will operate it in a joint venture.

With an area of 48 square kilometres, the Zone is expected to open by the end of this year.

A Reuters report cited Aboubaker Omar Hadi, chairman of the Djibouti Ports and Free Zone Authority, saying "the new free zone will be the country's first employment reservoir, with more than 15,000 direct and indirect jobs created."

In recent years, Djibouti has seen steady annual growth of six to eight percent in volume of freight, according to the Global Times. Now it is the busiest port in the Red Sea Region.

After it's put in operation, the Djibouti FTZ will become a crucial junction linking other African countries involved in China's "Belt and Road" initiative, and make the small northeast African country a marine logistics hub linking Africa, Asia and Europe.


The Chinese-built Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway is under construction. [Photo: Xinhua]

China and Djibouti have upgraded bilateral cooperation in many fields. Construction on China's first overseas logistics supply facilities started in the African country at the beginning of 2016. The Chinese-built Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway, currently under construction, will reduce travel time between the two cities from two-or-three days down to only 10 hours. Djibouti is also home to China's first overseas commercial bank-- Silk Road International Bank.
 

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China Plans to Construct New Tourist Mecca Near its Only Foreign Military Base

Chinese investment in Djibouti can turn the smallest country on the African Horn into a Mecca for tourists, according to Osman Abdi Mohamed, managing director of the National Tourism Board. Sputnik takes a look at the recent developments in Djibouti.

“The Chinese military base will serve as a starting point for the development of tourism and we believe that it will pay off,” Osman Abdi Mohamed said, the South China Morning Post newspaper reported.

Chinese investors have set their eyes on the shore of the Ras Siyyan Peninsula in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait.



© AP PHOTO/ JASON STRAZIUSO
New Chinese Military Base in Africa Presents Security Concerns for US

Bab-el-Mandeb means “Gate of Sorrow” in Arabic. The strait received its name because of the many dangers that could be encountered while sailing across the strait.

The district, which China intends to develop, is located between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

According to the reports, China is building its military facility in Djibouti to deal with pirates in this region. The coast is located only 20 kilometers from the Yemeni island of Perim.

Furthermore, there is a plan to build a luxury hotel in the Bab-el-Mandeb. In another part of the peninsula, an airport will be constructed. An important factor which makes this area attractive is that the nearby Bay of Tadzhur is a place where whale sharks swim during their breeding season.

This makes the coastal waters of Djibouti one of the best places in the world to observe that kind of marine life.

Djibouti is already reaping some rewards of China’s involvement. By virtue of its level of economic development, Djibouti would have never laid a trans-boundary water pipeline from Ethiopia.


© AFP 2017/ ABDULLAH DOMA

The pipeline, which is being built with Chinese participation, will provide fresh water to local residents and foreign tourists.

In April, the construction of a multifunctional port is going to be completed. Chinese companies have invested billions of dollars into this port.

The port is connected via a modern railroad leading to Ethiopia and from there to most of the East African countries.


The modern railroad started operating in January this year and it is able to provide economic benefits, including facilitating access to many of Djibouti's tourist attractions.

China's construction of a military facility in Djibouti can be considered an additional factor of security for China's growing investments in the economy and infrastructure of the country, Alexander Larin, an expert at the Institute of the Far East, said earlier in an interview with Sputnik.

The construction of the Chinese military base will be presumably completed at the end of this year. It can play an important role in protecting China's growing economic presence in Djibouti and in Africa as a whole, according to the expert.

He believes that China will continue to combine military construction, which it needs to solve geopolitical tasks, with civil construction, which it leads as an investor.


© REUTERS/ STRINGER
China Refutes Reports of Increased Military Aircraft Activity

According to The Associated Press, for years there has been a growing hostility towards Chinese traders, which erupted with the protest of hundreds of local shopkeepers in Kampala. They urged Chinese traders to close their business, accusing them of unfair competition.

Chinese traders allegedly came to Uganda as serious investors and then set up small-scale businesses.

The AP also stated that the mayor of Kampala, Erias Lukwago, supported the protests. He said that the government should protect local traders to prevent the outbreak of protests and attacks on foreign traders.

Chinese investors have poured $400 million into Djibouti to build a trading port and to develop a free trade zone in the region. In addition to bolstering China’s naval presence in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, the base will likely serve as a headquarters for roughly 2,200 Chinese soldiers stationed in Africa as part of peacekeeping operations.

Earlier, US Marine General Thomas Waldhauser said the base presents security concerns to the US.
 

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