The Chinese may prefer to call their new naval base in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, on the north-western edge of the Indian Ocean, a support facility. But this does not change the fact that China has set up its first overseas military base, a significant development.

“It is the first major step of the Chinese military to improve its power projection capability,” said Associate Professor Li Mingjiang of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at the Nanyang Technological University.