Recent reports about a Chinese naval base in West Africa are “concerning” to Col. Grant Newsham (USMC-Ret.), senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy. The Chinese regime’s activity in the region “should not be a surprise to anyone,” he tells American Family News.
“The People’s Republic of China [PRC] has been angling for at least the last 20 years to establish a network of port facilities around the world to which the People’s Liberation Army Navy will have access,” Newsham says. Those efforts, he adds, will allow the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) – the Chinese military – to operate globally.
Newsham explains that just like America’s leaders, Beijing’s leaders early on understood the importance of a global military that would allow them to protect their overseas interests. “It will also allow the PRC to project power – both militarily and politically – and, if necessary, to fight wars,” he adds.
Currently, the PLA has only one overseas base: in Djibouti on the Red Sea.