China on Tuesday dispatched ships carrying Chinese military personnel to Djibouti to man a support base in the country, following negotiations with authorities there.
According to the defense ministry, a ceremony was held at a naval pier in the southern Chinese port of Zhanjiang, presided over by navy commander Vice Adm. Shen Jinlong.
The base will provide support to China’s peacekeeping missions and humanitarian operations in Africa and western Asia.
The base will also oversee military cooperation, joint exercises and evacuations in the region, as part of maintaining peace and security in international waters.
Djibouti is already home to the center of American operations in Africa, Camp Lemonnier, while France, Britain, Japan and other nations also maintain a military presence in the small but strategically located nation.
