Chinese warship in Mombasa for technical stop, cultural exchange
During its stay, the crew is expected to conduct equipment maintenance, courtesy visits, and cultural exchanges, according to China's Ministry of Defence.
A Chinese guided-missile destroyer, Baotou, docked in Kenya's port city of Mombasa on Saturday for a five-day technical and rest stop, marking the first visit by a Chinese naval vessel to Kenya in six years.
The Baotou, part of the 47th Chinese naval escort taskforce, was received by Kenyan military officials, China's ambassador to Kenya, and representatives from Chinese enterprises and the Chinese community.
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During its stay, the crew is expected to conduct equipment maintenance, courtesy visits, and cultural exchanges, according to China's Ministry of Defence.
Beijing described the stopover as a routine logistical call.
Yet analysts see it as another sign of China's deepening maritime presence in the western Indian Ocean, where it is steadily expanding from trade and infrastructure into strategic security engagements.
Chinese ambassador to Kenya Guo Haiyan, left, aboard Baotou. (Photo: Guo Haiyan/X)
China's only overseas military base, in Djibouti, opened in 2017 and sits near US and French installations, underscoring the growing militarisation of the Horn of Africa's coastline.
Hosting foreign bases has given African governments both political leverage and economic opportunity, though often at the cost of strategic ambiguity.
The destroyer's visit comes amid Beijing's global naval expansion.
A recent Newsweek map shows at least five Chinese task groups currently deployed across Africa, Asia, and the South Pacific.
The 48th escort has since replaced Baotou's unit, taking over anti-piracy and sea-lane protection duties in the Gulf of Aden.
Washington's latest Pentagon report notes that the People's Liberation Army Navy is increasingly focused on "projecting power far from China's shores", using non-war military operations to secure global interests while gaining operational experience.
For Kenya, the visit underscores its balancing act - welcoming Beijing's growing defence diplomacy while maintaining strong security ties with the United States and Western partners.
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