China's Power Play in Djibouti: First Step to Great Naval Power Status?

``Last week, US media suggested, citing US officials, that China's diplomatic efforts to set up a naval logistics center for patrol boats in the northeast African nation of Djibouti demonstrate that "Beijing is in Africa for the long haul," and that it could eventually make a play to "edge out Western influence in the region and secure access to the continent's vast mineral resources for itself."''