New Delhi: China is pursuing the establishment of military installations in several overseas countries — a worrying development for the US, India and others.
The development comes as a part of its “vision” to expand regional influence and dominate global affairs, according to an intelligence assessment published Monday by the US.
China has so far confirmed it has a military base in Djibouti, while the US strongly believes that it aims to exclusively control parts of Cambodia’s main naval base.
The Annual Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community read: “Beyond developing its military base in Djibouti and its military facility at Ream Naval Base in Cambodia, Beijing reportedly is considering pursuing military facilities in multiple locations, including — but not limited to — Burma, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Pakistan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, and the UAE.”
The assessment, published by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), said that Chinese President Xi Jinping “envisions” China as the preeminent power in East Asia and a “leading” power in the world.
The Chinese government aims to assert its dominance in regional affairs and project its power globally through the use of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the ODNI report said. The ODNI is an independent US government agency that was established in 2004 to assist the Director of National Intelligence by integrating the intelligence community in the country.
“The PLA will continue to pursue the establishment of overseas military installations and access agreements in an attempt to project power and protect China’s interests abroad,” the report said.
China’s power games
A white paper published by the Chinese defence ministry in 2019 had highlighted its goals to “fully transform the people’s armed forces into world-class forces by the middle of the 21st century”. As a part of this plan, the white paper underscored the focus on preparing its naval forces for deployment in far-seas operations.
“The PLA Navy (PLAN) has extended training to the far seas and deployed the aircraft carrier task group for its first far seas combat exercise in the West Pacific… To address deficiencies in overseas operations and support, it builds far seas forces, develops overseas logistical facilities, and enhances capabilities in accomplishing diversified military tasks,” said the paper.
China has also begun to operate overseas military installations in the past decade.
Currently, China has publicly confirmed one overseas military facility, in Djibouti, which has been operational since 2017. Djibouti is a country located on the Horn of Africa, with access to the Red Sea, one of the world’s most important sea transport routes.
Djibouti in recent years has also become home to multiple foreign military facilities, including the US, France, Italy and Japan, apart from the Chinese.
Beijing has not publicly commented on its second military facility in Cambodia. In 2021, however, the then Cambodian defence minister, Tea Banh, confirmed that Beijing had been assisting Phnom Penh in the construction of infrastructure at the Ream Naval Base, in the Preah Sihanouk province.
On 1 June 2021, then US deputy secretary of state Wendy Sherman raised concerns about a Chinese military presence at the Ream Naval Base with then Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen.
The ODNI report, however, said that China’s military ambitions may be stymied in the short term by the purge of high-level officers due to corruption in the armed forces.
“China lacks recent warfighting experience, which probably would weaken the PLA’s effectiveness and leaders’ willingness to initiate a conflict. In addition, PRC leaders almost certainly are concerned about the ongoing impact of corruption on the military’s capabilities and reliability, judging from a purge of high-level officers including the defence minister in 2023,” the report said.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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