Report: China has established a spy hub near US military base in Djibouti

According to a new report by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), China has significantly expanded its intelligence-gathering capabilities near the U.S. military's Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti by installing new antennas and signals intelligence assets. Morgan Murphy, a former Pentagon official, warned that Beijing has effectively "wiretapped the Red Sea." The Chinese facility, which is the country's only formally acknowledged overseas military base, is located less than six miles from the U.S. base, a key hub for American counterterrorism operations in Africa. The CSIS report identifies several satellite dishes, high-frequency antennas, and 5G towers at the site, which are likely part of a Chinese command and control architecture designed to intercept signals and monitor naval movements in the strategic region. Murphy emphasized the importance of the area, which serves as a chokepoint for approximately 16% of global maritime trade, noting that these developments reflect Beijing's efforts to monitor the operating environment and secure its oil supply lines. While China's Foreign Ministry has stated it is "unaware of the specific situation" and framed the country as a "builder of international peace," experts suggest these developments could heighten tensions between Washington and Beijing ahead of a scheduled meeting between the two nations' leaders.