Tuesday, January 02, 2018

China to Build Large Naval Base in Gwadar, Pakistan

China is about to build a large naval base at the port city of Gwadar, in Pakistan's Balochistan province:

http://dailycaller.com/2018/01/01/dont-be-alarmed-but-china-could-be-building-a-military-base-in-pakistan/

In the last few months, there have been persistent reports of Chinese survey teams in the areas west of Gwadar, a seaport considered critical to the success of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the linchpin to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, an effort to achieve Chinese commercial dominance in South Asia and as a connection to its strategic interests in the Middle East and Africa. 
In the last two weeks, meetings held between high-ranking Chinese and Pakistani military officers indicate that a new Chinese military facility will be built on the Jiwani peninsula between Gwadar and the Iranian border. The plan is said to include a naval base and an expansion of the already-existing airport on the peninsula, both requiring the establishment of a security zone and the forced relocation of long-time Balochi residents.
This will bring Chinese naval power to the mouth of the Straits of the Hormuz, the strategic choke-point for shipping traffic through the Persian Gulf.

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