China expands communication equipment at Djibouti military base... CSIS Analysis Revealed

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kwon Sook-hee = An analysis by an American think tank suggests that China appears to have expanded communication equipment at its military base in Djibouti, northeastern Africa.

There is a possibility that China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has strengthened its capabilities to monitor foreign military operations in Djibouti and throughout the Middle East.

According to Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 22nd, the U.S. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) analyzed commercial satellite images released on the 17th and announced that communication equipment has been expanded at the Chinese military base in Djibouti, which appears to be improving China's signal information collection ability.

CSIS analyzed that China has built two communication facility complexes within the Djibouti base since mid-2024. Most of the construction was completed by mid-2025.

In the larger of the two locations, three high-frequency (HF) antennas about 30 meters high, two very high-frequency/ultra-high-frequency (VHF/UHF) antennas, three satellite antennas with adjustable directions, four 5G antenna array estimation devices, and a radome covering equipment whose purpose has not been confirmed were installed.

Another complex has two high-frequency antennas and a radome.

Timothy Heath, CEO of defense research firm Perceptum, said these facilities appear to be primarily intended to support People's Liberation Army forces and could improve communications with Chinese ships, aircraft and troops in the region and reduce the risk of accidents.

In addition, it was analyzed that it could help collect information on foreign troops such as the U.S. military and Japanese military.

Djibouti is close to military bases from at least five countries, including China, the United States, France, Japan, and Italy.

The Djibouti base, which is considered China's first overseas military base, was built in 2017, and is reportedly only about 12km away from the US base.

The Chinese government has stated that the Djibouti base is intended to support naval escort, peacekeeping, and humanitarian missions.

Currently, this base serves as a base for Chinese naval operations in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.

CSIS stated that it has not been confirmed whether China is actually using the new communication equipment to intercept foreign military communications or collect signal information.

He also explained that it does not appear that any equipment was installed for the purpose of collecting information.

However, he added that with these devices, it seems possible for China to observe the direction, source, frequency, and frequency of occurrence of foreign military signals.

China has also been concerned about the possibility of its country being monitored in Djibouti's special environment, where foreign military bases are concentrated.

It is known that Chinese officials have complained to Djibouti on several occasions about US military helicopters and drones flying over Chinese bases.