Pentagon fears China is to build huge new army base in Pakistan as part of the global expansion of its military facilities
The move would follow the construction of its first overseas naval base in Djibouti
CHINA is planning to build a huge new army base in Pakistan as part of the global expansion of its military facilities, a US report claims.
The Pentagon study predicts it will continue spread its military prowess after the construction of its first overseas naval base in Djibouti near the Red Sea.
That is said to be the first of many "strategic locations" the communist giant is looking at across the globe.
The report states: "China most likely will seek to establish additional military bases in countries with which it has a longstanding friendly relationship and similar strategic interests, such as Pakistan.”
The move would come amid increase tensions between China and Pakistan’s main rival India, as Beijing and New Delhi “accuse each other of frequent incursions and military build-ups” along their disputed frontier.
Pakistan is currently a primary market for Chinese arms sales and a key partner in Beijing’s lucrative plan for a new Silk Road, the Belt and Road initiative.
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China started building its Djibouti base just over a year ago and some observers say it will be operational by as early as this summer.
The 97-page report to Congress also estimated China’s military spending now exceeds $180 bn (£140 bn).
The report also pointed out the rising tensions between China and Taiwan and highlighted Beijing’s aggressive posturing in the disputed South China Sea.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman said it “firmly opposed” the report.
However, Richard Bitzinger, a military expert at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said he would not be surprised if China built an official military base in Pakistan.
“The Chinese have helped to build a sizeable deepwater port in Gwadar, and Chinese submarines have already been spotted in the port of Karachi,” he .
“Even without an actual base, Pakistan provides considerable support to a growing Chinese naval presence in the Indian Ocean Region and is thus part of an important ‘network of access’ for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy.”