China will soon start building its first overseas naval logistics support outpost in the Horn of Africa to help Chinese peacekeeping fleets, the foreign ministry told China Daily on Thursday, Feb. 4.
The ministry made the remarks after senior Djibouti officials and Chinese experts reacted to some media reports about the outpost.
A report by Reuters quoted Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh on Wednesday, Feb. 3, as saying that China was expected to start work on the facility soon.
The foreign ministry said that in recent years, China has sent escort fleets which experienced difficulties in the Gulf of Alden and Somalia, affecting the "rest and reorganization of servicemen and the supply of oil."
"It (the outpost) is essential to implement highly efficient logistical support," the ministry added.
According to the report, the Ministry of National Defense confirmed that China and Djibouti reached an agreement on the outpost in December. Countries such as the United States and France have long established their military bases and support facilities in Djibouti, the report said.
Djibouti's Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf told Reuters, "We understand that some Western countries have worries about China's willingness to have military outposts outside of China." He said that Western countries should not be concerned.
Djibouti, a pivotal country in the Horn of Africa between the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, is a key transfer stop for international humanitarian missions, including those of the United Nations.
According to Yin Zhuo, director of the People's Liberation Army Navy's Expert Consultation Committee, a Chinese fleet patrolling waters in the region has to feed about 800 staff members every day and there is a huge demand for food and water supplies for a single mission, which lasts on average for 120 days.
Zhang Junshe, a senior researcher at the PLA Naval Military Studies Research Institute, said Djibouti is one of the closest major ports to Somalia and its peaceful environment is ideal for China's support facility.
Zhang said the outpost that will be built there is designed to provide food, water and oil, totally different from U.S. military bases, which supply weaponry.
The report said that Djibouti's strategic importance and logistical convenience were highlighted last year when Chinese citizens evacuated from Yemen used it as a transit point.
During his meeting with Djibouti President Guelleh in Johannesburg in December, President Xi Jinping expressed his appreciation of Djibouti's support for the Chinese peacekeeping fleets and in evacuating Chinese citizens from Yemen last year.