[20190904]IF11304_中国在吉布提的参与 .pdf

https:/crsreports.congress.gov September 4, 2019Chinas Engagement in Djibouti Overview Djibouti is pursuing an ambitious agenda to transform itself into a commercial trade hub for the Horn of Africa region. This effort is being financed largely by the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), which is playing a growing role in the tiny country. Chinas engagement is multi-faceted, ranging from major infrastructure investments to the establishment of its first overseas military base in the country. China considers Djibouti part of its Belt and Road Initiative; in late 2017 the two countries declared that they had established a “strategic partnership.” U.S. policymakers have raised concern about Chinas role in Djibouti, given U.S. strategic interests in the region and the proximity of Chinas base to U.S. military facilities there. Djibouti is strategically located on the Bab el Mandeb strait (Figure 1), a chokepoint between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. It has become a hub for foreign militaries in the past decade, hosting bases for the United States, France, Japan, Italy, and, most recently, China. Djiboutis economy depends heavily on trade through its busy international port complex, an