The report didn’t say whether Yan would visit the base construction site. BEIJING — Chinese President Xi Jinping is sending a special envoy to visit the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti, where China is establishing a naval logistics center that is widely seen as the first overseas base for its increasingly powerful military. The base is seen as a milestone in the global advance of China’s military and expands on its traditional mission of safeguarding Chinese territory and conquering self-governing Taiwan. Despite that, the Defense Ministry has provided few details and refrained even from referring to it as a military base, in line with China’s long-time policy of not establishing military alliances or a permanent overseas military presence. Deputy head of the national legislature Yan Junqi will this week attend the inauguration of Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh followed by that of President Yoweri Museveni in nearby Uganda, The official Xinhua News Agency reported Saturday.

Source: Washington Post May 07, 2016 01:43 UTC