China has significantly enhanced its surveillance and intelligence-gathering capabilities at its military base in Djibouti, located just six miles from a crucial U.S. installation, according to a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and a former Pentagon official.
The upgrades at China's sole overseas base include new antennas and signals intelligence assets, which a former Trump White House official, Morgan Murphy, stated are aimed at building "eavesdropping capabilities."
"Beijing has clearly wiretapped the Red Sea," Murphy told Fox News Digital, referencing the CSIS report. "When you build a 30-meter (100-foot-wide) satellite dish and cover it with a dome, so nobody can see where it's pointing, it's pretty clear you're up to no good."
The CSIS report highlights a large southeastern facility at the Chinese base featuring a control building, multiple high-frequency and ultra-high-frequency antennas, satellite dishes, probable 5G towers, and a "radome" covering an unidentified asset. Additionally, two new communications facilities have emerged since 2024, likely forming part of a C4ISR command architecture to enhance China's ability to intercept signals, track naval movements, and communicate with Beijing.
These developments come ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's scheduled visit to the White House on September 24, and increase scrutiny on Beijing's intelligence-gathering activities. Murphy noted the strategic significance of China's choice to place its base so close to Camp Lemonnier, the primary U.S. counterterrorism hub in Africa.
"This isn't a supply depot — it’s a 50-yard line seat over America’s power projection and the U.S. Navy," Murphy said, contrasting China's single overseas base with the extensive global network of U.S. installations. "But look at the location — a few miles from Camp Lemonnier, overlooking the chokepoint that moves roughly a sixth of global sea trade."
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical maritime chokepoint for approximately 16% of global trade, has seen increased military activity. Murphy suggested China's increased presence is in its strategic interest, particularly concerning its heavy reliance on oil imports from the Middle East.
"China is far more reliant on Middle Eastern oil than the United States. China imports a huge portion — around 33% or more — of their daily oil needs and is highly reliant on long sea lines," he explained.
The proximity of the Chinese facility to Camp Lemonnier has been a source of friction in the past. Murphy recalled an incident in 2018 where military-grade lasers were directed at American pilots attempting to land at Camp Lemonnier, causing lasting damage. While China denied the accusations, the event underscored the potential for conflict.
Despite China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jian stating Beijing is "unaware of the specific situation" and framing the country as a "builder of international peace," the CSIS findings suggest a more assertive intelligence-gathering posture. Murphy cautioned that while China currently lacks the capacity to project power globally like the United States, its intentions are clear.
"Americans can take comfort in the fact that they don't have that capacity today, but we must stay alert because the only thing that subdues a threat is a ready posture," Murphy concluded.
Former President Donald Trump has also addressed Chinese intelligence operations, stating that "China spies on us" similarly to how the U.S. spies on China. This statement followed a report linking Chinese satellite imagery support to an Iranian missile attack that killed U.S. troops in Jordan.