NOTE: I had posted satellite pictures of all the bases twice, but they don’t seem to be visible for some reason. Seems like some bug and don’t have enough energy to do it again.

There has been some noise about new Chinese military bases overseas. As with most thing China related, reliable information is hard to come by and even reliable sources often provide conflicting information. This is just a quick overview of some of the bases. There are quite a few other facilities which have significant Chinese involvement. But majority of them seem to be purely commercial. There is a chance that some of them have or may have some military use in future, but I don’t know enough yet.

1. El Salao, Cuba:

• Possible SIGINT Base
• Coordinates: 20° 0’20.10″N75°44’47.12″W

2. Wajay, Cuba:

• Possible SIGINT Base
• Coordinates: 23° 0’31.47″N82°25’21.13″W

3. Bejucal, Cuba:

• Possible SIGINT Base
• Coordinates: 22°56’39.08″N82°21’47.12″W

4. Calabazarl, Cuba:

•  Possible SIGINT Base
• Coordinates: 23° 0’47.16″N82°19’59.22″W

CSIS was the first major source to publish the story about Chinese electronic and signals intelligence bases in Cuba. Almost every single news article about it refers to the same paper. At first glance, it does seem accurate. But there seem to be some gaps for Wajay and El Salao SIGINT Base. A bit more research is needed to be sure.

5.Gorno-Badakhshan Base, Tajikistan

•  Possibly manned by People’s Armed Police (PAP) personnel. Seems like it can house one infantry company worth of troops. Local reporters have mentioned Chinese soldiers going to nearby towns for shopping. But exact unit and their role is not clear.
• Coordinates: 37°28’27.30″N74°48’26.13″E

6. Ream Naval Base, Cambodia.

• Part of this naval base is under Cambodian control while the rest will be used by China for next 30 years. The construction is in a more advanced stage than what is visible in publicly available imagery.
• Coordinates: 10°30’33.17″N103°36’39.38″E

7. Hambanthota Harbour, Sri Lanka.

• This port started as a commercial project by China but Sri Lanka was forced to cede it to China for 99 years after defaulting on debt payments. Sri Lankan navy has a small facility just outside the port in south.
• Coordinates: 6° 7’44.15″N 81° 5’27.13″E

8. Gwadar Port, Pakistan.

• Gwadar port is part of CEPC project but knowing past record of Pakistan and China, it’s safe to assume that it’ll be another port under full Chinese control like Hambanthota above.
• Coordinates: 25° 6’36.16″N62°20’32.10″E

9. Coco Island, Myanmar.

• This island was leased or handed over to China by Myanmar although both have denied it in the past.. China is now constructing hardened aircraft shelters . The island is barely ~70 km from northern Andaman islands under Indian control.
• Coordinates: 14° 8’31.56″N93°22’6.82″E

10. Djibouti Naval Base

• According to China, this is a naval a base for logistics and support rather than a purely military base. The rapid pace of expansion and new facilities suggest something else.
• Coordinates: 11°35’30.76″N 43° 3’49.14″E