Commercial imagery reveals two new communication sites built near foreign military bases in East Africa, US think tank says
4-MIN READ4-MINGabriel DominguezPublished: 5:58pm, 21 Sep 2026China has upgraded its military base in Djibouti with communications equipment a US think tank says is “likely enhancing” the country’s ability to collect signals intelligence – potentially giving the PLA a window on foreign military operations in Djibouti and the wider Middle East.The Chinese facility sits within 16km (10 miles) of US, French, Italian and Japanese military bases, according to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), in an unusually concentrated environment in which several foreign militaries operate in close proximity.Beijing opened the Djibouti facility in 2017, describing it as a support base for naval escort, peacekeeping and humanitarian missions. It has since become a hub for Chinese naval operations in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
Xi to get presidential airport welcome from Trump during US visit starting WednesdayThe upgrade could be particularly significant as US Air Force budget documents describe nearby Chabelley Airfield as the only location in East Africa from which armed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets are authorised to operate.
Meanwhile in August, Japan began flying P-1 maritime patrol aircraft from its Djibouti facility for counter-piracy and Middle East information-gathering missions.
