Analysis Details China Upgrades to Djibouti Base Surveillance Systems

CSIS released an analysis of commercial satellite imagery on September 17, 2026 showing upgrades at China's military base in Djibouti. Two new communications compounds have been built since mid-2024, with new antennas, satellite communications equipment and other systems. The base opened in 2017 near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. It is China's only formally acknowledged overseas military base and supports Chinese naval operations in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea. The United States, France, Italy and Japan operate bases less than 10 miles (16 km) from China's. Conflicts involving the Houthis, Iran, Israel and the United States are cited as increasing regional military activity. China's Washington embassy did not respond to Reuters by the time of publication. CONTESTED CSIS says the type and orientation of the base's new equipment is varied, enabling transmission and detection across a wide range of signals and frequencies. The facilities would provide China with a much more robust picture of the operating environment in the region, the report said. CSIS says China could draw valuable insights into U.S. and other militaries' operations by observing the direction, origin, frequency, and pace of their signals. CSIS states it cannot determine from images alone whether the base is actively intercepting communications.