The Foreign Military Studies Office of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command posted on 15 February 2025 a commentary titled "China Sets Sight on Gabon for Second African Military Base" by Jacob Zenn, adjunct professor at Georgetown University.
The author argued that Beijing is targeting Gabon to host the second Chinese military base on the African continent following establishment of its first in Djibouti in 2017. Evidence to support this conclusion seems to be based primarily on the September 2024 visit to Gabon by the PLA Navy hospital ship, Peace Ark.
Comment: While China probably does wish to establish a naval base on Africa's Atlantic coast at some point, the Peace Ark on this same trip also made calls at ports in Luanda, Angola; Brazzaville, Republic of Congo; Douala, Cameroon; Cotonou, Benin; and Nouakchott, Mauritania. These ports and others are candidates for a future Chinese naval facility.
