| Publication |
2011.
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| Summary/Abstract |
This article aims to assess how China is using its navy to secure its interests in the Gulf of Aden, and what this means for the European Union. The analysis of how China's naval presence in the Gulf of
Aden has evolved since early 2009 suggests that China's increasing interests and involvement in Africa do not necessarily lead to the establishment of Chinese naval bases in or close to the continent. To supply its
ships, the Chinese navy may well continue using the commercial-diplomatic model that China has been developing. This model is based on
China's close diplomatic relations with countries in the region and the
extensive presence of Chinese companies to whom logistical services can
be outsourced and who are under a greater degree of state influence than
most Western multinationals. One of the consequences of this approach
is that although China may not establish overseas military bases, it may
be able to keep expanding its naval presence in or around Africa.
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