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20,000 Li Over the Sea: China Sends Troops to First Permanent Base in Djibouti

20,000 Li Over the Sea: China Sends Troops to First Permanent Base in Djibouti

In the run-up to the establishment of the port, China has invested heavily in Djibouti. Their bilateral trade is $2 billion and imports of Chinese goods make up 54 percent of Djibouti’s total. The PLA Navy will now have its first permanent support base (保障基地) overseas to resupply and repair Chinese ships operating in the region. The Djibouti support base is likely just the first of many as China improves its ability to protect the trade routes that form the vital arteries of its economy. This base, and those that follow should be viewed in the same light as the infrastructure projects China is driving across Asia, connecting it through an expanding web of pipelines, highways and railways to the rest of the global economy. –Jamestown Foundation/

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