Drills show Chinese troops capable of riding shotgun on country’s global ambitions
PLA flexes muscles in Djibouti as it builds on close to three decades of peacekeeping experience
When the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fired the symbolic first shots at its first overseas miliary base, in Djibouti on the Horn of Africa, just over two months ago, it was a wake-up call to the world that China’s growing overseas interests will be escorted by a powerful military.
Military insiders told the South China Morning Post that Djibouti would not be China’s sole overseas military base, with Beijing planning to explore the possibility of more foreign military outposts in Africa, the Middle East and other areas to protect its expanding overseas interests in the Indian Ocean region.
Chinese troops head back into the Djibouti desert for live-fire drills
“China needs more overseas military bases because the country’s expanding interests have also been challenged by some countries and local armed forces,” one military insider, who requested anonymity, said.
“Djibouti is an ideal training place to the test the PLA combat forces’ capacity to handle a range of weapons and tasks in extreme heat, humidity and salinity in the African continent, where temperatures routinely rise above 40 degrees Celsius.”
PLA troops had conducted at least two live-fire drills in the desert in Djibouti since September 22 that would help them “explore a new training model for Chinese overseas garrisons”, base commander Liang Yang told the PLA Daily last month.
In exercises late last month the garrison in Djibouti showed off its advanced Type 095 and Type 90-II wheeled armoured fighting vehicles and other heavy weaponry. Macau-based military expert Antony Wong Dong described them as “the most advanced main battle armoured cars” in Africa.