Photo taken on Dec. 25, 2008 shows the Chinese Navy's supply ship Weishanhu in Sanya, capital of South China's Hainan Province. The Chinese Navy's three-ship fleet awaiting sail to waters off Somalia has finished its preparations for the overseas deployment, the fleet commander said Thursday.
Providing supply to China's naval ships operating overseas is a proper demand, a Chinese defense ministry official who refused to be named told the Global Times Thursday, responding to the previous proposal of setting up permanent base to support ships on an anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden.
Yin Zhuo, an admiral and senior researcher at the navy's Equipment Research Center believed that building such a supply base will support China's long-term participation in the operation. The idea was followed by Western media's speculation that China will build the first foreign military base.
Some countries have overseas supply bases but China now refuels ships through seaborne supply and regular shore-based supply, the official said.
The official didn’t comment on the so called "military base".
Response from Defense Ministry----
http://www.peopleforum.cn/viewthread.php?tid=6617&extra=page%3D1
