A senior U.S. commander said China’s expanded military port in Djibouti is large enough to accommodate aircraft carriers, while it is looking for sites elsewhere in Africa to set up naval and air bases.
General Stephen Townsend, commander of U.S. Africa Command, made the statement during testimony before the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday (April 20, 2021). He said, “China is a major concern for us. They’re all over the continent. They’re placing a lot of bets. They’re putting a lot of money in there and building a lot of critical infrastructure.”
Rep. Adam Smith, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, who chaired the hearing, said in his opening remarks that China and Russia are investing strategically on the continent and taking steps to increase their dominance over the United States, so he wanted to understand how the U.S. military is deploying resources in Africa to counteract Chinese and Russian influence there.
Rep. Rogers, the Republican leader of the Armed Services Committee, said the fact that China’s military base in Djibouti is only a few miles from a U.S. base is worrisome. He said it is necessary for the U.S. to continue to invest in Djibouti, and in Africa, to meet the Chinese challenge.
China officially opened its Djibouti-based military base in 2017. This base is in a precarious location. It is adjacent to the entrance of the Gulf of Adam to the Red Sea and is a stronghold for maritime transport to the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea.
Judd Devermont, director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank, has said that China’s military involvement in Africa is part of its overall Belt and Road national strategy, but that Chinese military bases on the continent could benefit the U.S. if they come into conflict with China and could lead to Chinese control over U.S. military access to the region and ability to take action.
The Pentagon has said the Defense Department will ensure that the U.S. Africa Command has sufficient resources to respond to malicious Chinese attempts on the continent.
Tuesday’s hearing is part of the U.S. Congress’ consideration of the annual defense budget. Lawmakers will need to make difficult trade-offs and choices between providing the U.S. military with sufficient resources to address major security challenges and appropriating funds to advance major domestic policies.
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