China is discussing with Equatorial Guina to establish naval base in the city of Bata.

According to information published by Japan Forward on December 7, 2022, China's Peoples' Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is negotiating with the Government of Equatorial Guinea to seal a deal for the construction of a naval base at the Equato-Guinean mainland port of Bata.
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Chinese military base of Djibouti. (Picture source: people.cn)

Military cooperation goes back to the Cold War period when China was keen to help African liberation movements. Eritrea's first president Isaias Afwerki, a leader in the fight for independence, received military training in China, Apart from some traditional allies such as Somalia and Tanzania, China also had military ties with non-aligned countries like Egypt.

In July 2017, China set up its first overseas military base in Djibouti, which is a small town located in the Horn of Africa between the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, as a logistics facility for peacekeeping missions on the continent.

Djibouti is strategically situated by the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which separates the Gulf of Aden from the Red Sea and guards the approaches to the Suez Canal.

The Chinese base is located by the Chinese-operated Port of Doraleh to the west of Djibouti City. To the south of the city are several other foreign military bases, including Camp Lemonnier (United States Navy), Base aerienne 188 (French Air Force), and the Japan Self-Defense Force Base Djibouti.

The heavily fortified base is 0.5 square kilometres (0.2 sq mi) in size and staffed by approximately 1,000-2,000 personnel, and has an underground space of 23,000 square meters.

The base has a 400m runway with an air traffic control tower, as well as a large helicopter apron. The base also houses the PLA Support Base Hospital in Djibouti.

A pier finished construction in December 2019. The 1,120 foot pier is reported to be long enough to be able to fit the PLAN's two new aircraft carriers and other warships or at least four nuclear-powered submarines.

Rumors of China's possible ambition to build a military base in Equatorial Guinea first surfaced in a Wall Street Journal article in December 2021, citing claims from an unnamed US intelligence official.

The Gulf of Guinea is a strategically important shipping route with 25% of Africa's maritime trade passing through the region. Escalating piracy in the Gulf disrupts trade; a People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) base in Equatorial Guinea would improve Chinese anti-piracy capabilities in West Africa, a stated goal of the FOCAC 2018 action plan.