Monday, June 17, 2019

Senior U.S. Intelligence Officer: Chinese Military Taking 'Irresponsible Actions' Toward U.S. Forces In Djibouti


Washington Times: Chinese military taking 'irresponsible actions' toward U.S. forces in Djibouti, intel chief says

The Chinese military is guilty of “irresponsible actions” toward American forces stationed at Djibouti’s Camp Lemonnier on the Horn of Africa, a senior U.S. military intelligence officer said.

The home of U.S. military operations in the region and the biggest U.S. base on the continent, Camp Lemonnier is near the People’s Liberation Army’s first overseas military base, and the proximity has been a continuing source of tension.

Rear Adm. Heidi Berg, director of intelligence at the U.S. Africa Command, told a small group of African-based journalists in a telephone media roundtable that China tried to “constrain international airspace” by barring aircraft from flying over the Chinese military base, flashed ground-based lasers into the eyes of American pilots and deployed drones designed to interfere with U.S. flight operations.

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WNU Editor: This caught my eye ....

.... Adm. Berg said Djibouti, as the host nation for the U.S. and Chinese bases, needs to “focus on maintaining their sovereignty” in the face of strong economic leverage from Beijing. China, she said, “currently holds over 88% of Djiboutian debt, and that is a concern.”

She said Chinese military and security engagement have increased significantly on the continent in the past five years and warned that the U.S. was falling behind in trade.

“China [has been] the principal trade partner in Africa since 2016. They’ve tripled their loans since 2012, and Beijing is the major debt holder for multiple sub-Saharan African governments. Since 2014, we’re estimating over $172 billion worth of investments in loans,” she said.

5 comments:

jimbrown said...

We're not your bank.

We're your partner.

Andrew Jackson said...

Otherwise known as colonization.

Bob Huntley said...

...

Carl said...

Baloney. When countries borrow money from China they get real economic assets in return/ When they borrow money from the bankrupt IMF-World Bank-trans-Atlantic financial system, they get the new math: the more they pay, the more they owe.

And anyway, the US "defending" the sovereignty of Djibouti from China is laughable. The US is a serial violator of sovereignty of most countries of the world and only "defends" it when it it suits Anglo-American geopolitical purposes.

Roger Smith said...


Yes, but they don't own the assets, Carl. The bank does. And as you have seen lately, even some countries are displeased with the bank's loans and have canceled them.

"the more they pay, the more they owe"? Huh?