(gentle music)
- [Narrator] This is Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti.
One of the hundreds of military bases
the US has overseas.
About six miles away is China's first
and only military outpost.
The two superpowers say they're
in the East African country of Djibouti
to protect their security and economic interests.
And their presence goes far beyond here.
The US has a long established network of bases.
Meanwhile, China has started expanding
its global military presence at commercial ports,
which military experts say can pose a challenge to the US.
(gentle music)
So we take a look at what's on these bases,
and compare their strategies as China redefines
what it means to have a global military footprint.
(spirited upbeat music)
- [News reporter] A new bomber base is handed over
to add to many others.
- [Narrator] Some of America's first foreign
military bases sprung up during World War II.
- Military base is, basically a place where military forces
and weaponry are organized and gathered.
- [Narrator] David Vine wrote a book
about these US facilities,
and has been studying them for more than 20 years.
- Foreign bases helped militaries deploy their forces,
or have the ability to deploy their forces
into foreign lands.
- [News reporter] The Japanese launched a surprise attack.
- [Narrator] After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor,-
- [News reporter] Their work had prepared one more base.
- [Narrator] the US started a construction spree
of military bases across the Pacific and Europe.
And when the war was over,
many American troops remained abroad.
- The US government has used its military
including military bases, to drive its interactions
with other governments and countries.
- [Narrator] The US has treaties
with several allies and groups of countries
such as NATO that obliged
to ensure security in those regions.
(crowd cheers)
But there's been criticism from some locals
and those who see bases
as foreign occupation and facilities to wage wars.
(crowd cheers)
- Our armed forces stand side by side.
- [Narrator] The Defense Department said in a statement
that it respects its host nation partners,
and works closely and transparently with communities.
Despite the controversy, the US has kept a network
that allows American troops to mobilize quickly.
For instance, following the September 11th attacks,
the US took over Camp Lemonnier from France,
and it became a key facility
for American troops to fight
against Al-Shabaab, Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia.
In 2018, the Pentagon said
the US had more than 500 bases around the world.
Though, some military researchers
and experts say there could be more.
China on the other hand,
doesn't have a constellation of military bases
because for a long time,
the leadership viewed it as a sign of imperialism.
- There had been decades of official declaratory policy
from China that they would never station forces overseas.
- [Narrator] Isaac Cardin is an assistant professor
at the US Naval War College,
and he's been studying China's maritime affairs
for more than 10 years.
- They were attempting to position themselves
as partners of the developing world,
specifically against the Americans
who were building bases.
- [Narrator] The Beijing's policies began
to shift in the early 2010s
as China's economic footprint began to grow.
In the first decade of this century,
the country's share in global trade has almost tripled.
- The leadership in Beijing recognized
that the scope and intensity
of China's interests overseas
required some more military capability.
- [Narrator] One of those places was in the Gulf of Aden,
where the rise of Somali piracy post threats
to global shipping.
This is a route that China relies
on to ship goods between the mainland and the Mediterranean.
So in 2016, in an effort to counter piracy,
Beijing said it would set up in Djibouti,
what it called an army support base.
- Djibouti is probably most effective place
for the People's Liberation Army
to start standing itself up outside
of China's immediate region.
- [Narrator] Given the mission to facilitate sea operations,
the Chinese base is equipped differently
from Camp Lemonnier.
It's first and foremost a naval base.
So China built a pier from scratch.
Military experts say it's large enough
to host various vessels in its fleet
including aircraft carriers, destroyers, and submarines.
The site is about 90 acres,
and military experts estimate it can host
about 2000 personnel.
Just compare that with Camp Lemonnier.
The American site is approximately five times larger,
and can house about double the personnel.
It not only has naval support,
but also land and air forces that can participate
in military exercises and conflicts.
And the bigger size also means the US spends more
on paying for the location than China.
It pays the Djiboutian government
about $63 million annually to rent the place,
according to an independent security think tank.
While China hasn't disclosed financial details,
a report by the US Congressional Research Service says,
"It costs about 20 million per year to lease the site."
Besides Camp Lemonnier,
the US has even bigger overseas spaces
that can house more than 30,000 people,
and they're usually called Little America.
- It has at least four schools, a hospital,
fast food facilities, a giant mall,
and all the trappings of a significant US town or city.
- [Narrator] China's single base falls short
in terms of the size and scope of what the US has,
but Beijing also uses a system
of more than 90 commercial ports
and terminals outside of China.
It's not unusual for countries, including the US
to use them to dock naval vessels
for repairs and to resupply.
- What is unusual is that China is able
to use commercial facilities that are owned
and operated mostly by state-owned enterprises.
So the PLA has been granted some type
of preferential access to it.
- Cardin says most of the ports
are partially controlled by Chinese firms,
meaning they own or operate one or more terminals.
But all this can still provide a unique advantage.
- China's amassing incredible stockpiles of data
about global trade on the basis
of its position in commercial ports worldwide.
(jet whooshes)
- Cardin says this insight
alongside a military presence
can be a powerful combination
that could challenge the US and its allies.
- When you consider that China's potentially
in a position to deny, or delay, or disrupt,
or even control vital shipments,
so ultimately this network puts them
in a position where they have some coercive leverage.
(bell rings)
- [Narrator] For now, military experts say China
isn't pursuing an extensive network like the US.
The concerns have been growing
among some American officials
that Beijing could be planning new Bases.
- They are seeking, actively seeking a military base
on the Atlantic coast of Africa.
The place where they've actually made progress
toward this is equatorial Guinea.
(gentle music)
- [Narrator] China's defense ministry didn't respond
to a request for comment on its base plans in Africa,
or whether Beijing could use commercial ports
to counter other countries.
The US Defense Department said it's concerned
about the lack of transparency
and clarity around Beijing's negotiations
with host nations.
So as the US and China compete for global influence,
the networks that they build
and maintain could become one
of their most essential military assets.
(gentle music)