China Expands Surveillance Capabilities Near US Base in Djibouti

China has expanded its military surveillance and intelligence-gathering capabilities at its base in Djibouti, just miles from a key U.S. military installation, raising concerns among U.S. defense experts about Beijing’s ability to monitor military activity in the Red Sea region.

A recent report by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), based on commercial satellite imagery, identified several new facilities and communications systems at China’s military base in Djibouti. The report said the upgrades could allow the Chinese military to improve its ability to monitor nearby military operations, track naval movements and communicate with Beijing.

However, CSIS noted that satellite imagery alone cannot determine whether China is actively intercepting communications from the site.

Morgan Murphy, a former Trump White House official who served as press secretary to then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper, told Fox News Digital that the developments appeared to indicate an effort by Beijing to strengthen its intelligence-gathering capabilities.

The CSIS report identified a control building, three 30-meter dipole antennas for high-frequency communications, two smaller antennas for very-high and ultra-high frequencies, three mobile satellite dishes and four probable 5G towers. It also identified a dome-like structure, known as a radome, covering an unidentified piece of equipment.

Two additional communications facilities have reportedly emerged at the Chinese base since 2024. CSIS said they could form part of a broader command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) architecture.

Such facilities could give China a more detailed picture of military activity in the region, including the movements of foreign naval forces, according to the report.

China’s Djibouti facility is its only officially acknowledged overseas military base. It is located less than six miles from Camp Lemonnier, the main U.S. military installation in Africa and a major hub for American counterterrorism operations.

The area also hosts military facilities operated by France, Italy and Japan, making Djibouti an important strategic location for several foreign powers.

The proximity of the Chinese and U.S. bases has previously caused tensions. In 2018, the Pentagon accused Chinese forces in Djibouti of directing military-grade lasers toward U.S. aircraft, injuring two American pilots. Beijing rejected the allegations as unfounded.

Djibouti is strategically positioned near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical maritime chokepoint connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. The waterway handles a significant share of global maritime trade and has become increasingly important amid regional military tensions and attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jian said he was unaware of the specific situation described in the CSIS report and characterized China as a builder of international peace.

Murphy acknowledged that countries routinely conduct intelligence operations against both allies and adversaries. He said, however, that the ability to collect intelligence and the ability to act on it are separate issues.

The developments come as U.S.-China tensions over military, technological and intelligence issues remain under scrutiny. U.S. President Donald Trump recently acknowledged that China conducts espionage against the United States, while saying that Washington also conducts intelligence operations against Beijing.

The issue could receive additional attention ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s scheduled visit to the White House on Sept. 24.