ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights a paradox; one the one hand, in addition to the overwhelming economic dimension of the Maritime Silk Road Initiative, China has an extensive diplomatic and military presence in the countries of the Horn itself, including its inaugural overseas military installation in Djibouti. China’s regional policy priorities are closely aligned with Western powers across issues such as anti-piracy, Islamist violent terrorism emanating from neighboring Yemen and Somalia, peacekeeping in Sudan, and stability in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council states. The United States’ only permanent African military base lies barely 15 km from the Chinese navy’s facility on the perimeter of the China Merchants’ Doraleh multipurpose port. China’s navy generated both domestic and international legitimacy during a decade of cooperation over anti-piracy activities in the region. Existing conditions in the region have implications for how China’s role may continue to develop.
