AFTER decades of priding itself on not having a single Chinese soldier on foreign soil (except for those serving on UN peacekeeping forces) and having no overseas military bases, China is somewhat awkwardly acknowledging that it is making a 180-degree turn by acquiring military facilities in far-off Djibouti, in northern Africa, near the Gulf of Aden.

It is a logical move. The Chinese navy has been conducting anti-piracy missions off Somalia since 2008. Its warships have conducted numerous escort missions, not confined to Chinese vessels. The need for a facility close by where ships can refuel, take on supplies, be cleaned and repaired if necessary and men can rest is clear.

And yet, China is handling very gingerly the announcement of its facility in Djibouti, where the United States and France already have bases. That is because China has always linked the idea of military bases with seeking hegemony and interference in the internal affairs of other countries.