China nation has signed a signed a 10-year agreement to build a military base for the first time in Africa, this is acts as a strategy of expansion outside the Asia-Pacific region.

According to The Hill, Gen. David Rodriguez the commander of U.S. Africa Command Army confirmed the news. China is on plans to begin building its first post which will be in Djibouti, a country on the Horn of Africa, which sits strategically at the mouth of the Red Sea. The base will include a port and an airfield. The moves signals that China is shifting from offshore defense to open seas protection.

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By China moving beyond agreements to temporarily make use of other bases makes sense, this is because it has a major economic presence in the area. The Economist has discovered that China is Africa's largest trading partner. The trade among Africa countries and China runs up to $160 billion annually. Also, Africa is now home to more than a million Chinese merchants and laborers, they work in the resource sector and send raw materials back to China.

As in 2013, Africa and China trade was double the amount of U.S.-Africa trade, Huffingtonpost reported. Chinese government uninterest in forcing progressive values on the local governments is seen as the reason why China has made such quick inroads into Africa. Unlike with the US government, China investments into infrastructure do not require the African governments to become more democratic, or to upend traditional gender roles.

The Congress has taken note of China's aggressive economic gains and Democratic Sen. Chris Coons who is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, retaliated that the U.S. should pay close attention to China's movements in Africa

According to The Hill, Chris Coons said that they do not want to lose on those opportunities to Chinese companies or to the Chinese government whose interests might not always align with theirs.

China has moved to counter accusations of new imperialism by promising to offer more capital to local African companies amidst some level of backlash emerging.

The U.S. also has a strong presence in the region through its military base Camp Lemonnier, which is home to 4,000 U.S. service members.

TagsGen. David Rodriguez, The commander of U.S., Red Sea, African Military Base, Chris Coons, The Congress