Posted on 12/04/2011 2:12:16 PM PST by TigerLikesRooster
China to set up base in Seychelles
The Seychelles has invited Beijing to set up a military base on the archipelago to beef up the fight against piracy there, Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Paul Adam said.
The declaration came as Liang Guanglie made the first-ever visit by a Chinese defence minister to the Indian Ocean island state.
'We have invited the Chinese government to set up a military presence on Mahe to fight the pirate attacks that the Seychelles face on a regular basis,' Adam said.
'For the time being China is studying this possibility because she has economic interests in the region and Beijing is also involved in the fight against piracy,' he explained.
General Liang, who arrived in Victoria on Thursday with a 40-strong delegation, had been invited in October by Seychelles President James Michel, when he was on a visit to China.
'Together, we need to increase our surveillance capacity in the Indian Ocean... as Seychelles has a strategic position between Asia and Africa,' Michel said in statement, adding that China had given its army two light aircraft.
The two countries signed a military cooperation agreement in 2004 that has enabled some 50 Seychelles soldiers to be trained in China.
They renewed their agreement on Friday, with China to provide further training and equipment.
If the Chinese military base goes ahead, 'it won't be the first foreign military presence here because the Americans already have a small drone base here that they use in the fight against piracy,' Adam said.
(Excerpt) Read more at bigpondnews.com ...
P!
Thanks for the post. The fight for Africa is in its embryonic stage.
Thanks for the post. The fight for Africa is in its embryonic stage.
somewhere, Mike Hoare is either laughing or rolling over in his grave...
The islamists get the Middle East, the socialists get Europe and China gets Asia.
Africa and South America will be up for grabs.
There goes the neighborhood.
a great place to use as a jumping off point to create shipping chokepoints in the Indian Ocean, Red Sea, etc.
I’m sure Obama will say that Seychelles is one of our 57 states, but is one he hasn’t visited yet, but will, someday.
Placemark.
I don’t like this. The US already has a small airport for using drones against pirates (says in the article). Asking the Chinese in is a terrible idea for the Seychelles and anyone else too.
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