AidData, a research lab at William & Mary, published in July 2023 a study titled "Harboring Global Ambitions: China's Ports Footprint and Implications for Future Overseas Naval Bases" by Alexander Wooley, Sheng Zhang, Rory Fedorochko, and Sarina Patterson.
At the moment, China's only naval base outside China is located in Djibouti. The study provides a shortlist of the most likely basing options in the order in which they might be prioritized by Beijing. Four of the eight ports on the short list are located in Africa.
The eight prospects in priority order are:
--Hambantota, Sri Lanka
--Bata, Equatorial Guinea
--Gwadar, Pakistan
--Kribi, Cameroon
--Ream, Cambodia
--Luganville, Vanuatu
--Nacala Mozambique
--Nouakchott, Mauritania
