China has added two communications facilities to its military base in Djibouti, near the Gulf of Aden and Bab al-Mandeb Strait, according to satellite imagery analysed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
The facilities have appeared in the southeastern and northwestern sections of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Support Base since mid-2024, CSIS said in an analysis published on 17 September 2026.
The larger southeastern site includes a control building, three 30 m dipole antennas for high-frequency communications, two smaller antennas for very and ultra-high-frequency communications, three mobile satellite communications dishes, four probable 5G towers and a radome containing an unidentified asset.
The northwestern facility has two crossed high-frequency dipole antennas, a radome and a control building. CSIS also identified reinforced cable trenches installed in 2025, which it said suggest additional antennas could be added.
CSIS assessed that the two facilities are likely components of a base-wide command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) network.
According to the think tank, the equipment can provide over-the-horizon communications with Chinese ships and aircraft operating in the region and secure communications with command headquarters in China.
CSIS also assessed that the new equipment could support signals intelligence (SIGINT) operations and monitoring of military activity in the region. However, it said open-source analysis cannot establish whether passive SIGINT collection is taking place.
The location of the base places the new communications infrastructure close to military facilities operated by other countries. The United States, France, Italy and Japan each have bases less than 10 miles from the Chinese facility, according to CSIS.
The PLA Support Base opened in 2017 and is China’s only formally acknowledged overseas military base, CSIS said. Since opening, it has supported People’s Liberation Army Navy Naval Escort Task Force operations in the Gulf of Aden.
The Maritime Executive separately reported that the communications infrastructure identified at the site covers high-frequency, very and ultra-high-frequency, satellite communications and 5G equipment. The publication cited the CSIS findings in its report on 18 September 2026.
The base is also located near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. CSIS describes the approximately 20-mile-wide strait as a maritime chokepoint carrying an estimated 16% of global maritime trade.
CSIS assessed that the upgrades provide China with a forward C4ISR node covering much of the Middle East and Africa. While satellite imagery confirms the addition of the communications facilities and associated equipment, assessments of their potential intelligence functions are based on the characteristics and configuration of the systems identified at the base.
