Shahab Sabahi
Energy and Environment for Development - Policy Analysis Research Group
As tension escalates in the US - Pakistan relation, the ground is prepared for the presence of China, right at the doorstep of the Persian Gulf. From energy security standpoint, it is one of the most strategic locations in the world. A naval armed force underpins in many aspects China's foreign policy, national pride and energy supply flow and security. Furthermore it gives China a new edge to effectively challenge the US presence in the oceans, in Asia and Persian Gulf.
Yale Global published an analysis that had been conducted by the Lowy Institute for International Policy, Sydney. It read that " Reports that Pakistan invited China to construct a naval base in Gwadar have reignited
concerns about Beijing's strategic ambitions in the Indian Ocean. For many China-watchers, the militarization of this commercial port - just 500 kilometers from the Strait of Hormuz - would confirm longstanding anxieties about Beijing's so-called "string of pearls" strategy. Yet there are few reasons to fear China's strategic weight in the Indian Ocean. The ports are, as China contends, conventional shipping facilities to connect landlocked Chinese provinces with trade routes. Transforming the commercial ports into
military bases would not only require extensive fortification but also convincing host countries to upend a geopolitical strategy balancing interests of China, the US and India. The ports have long-term strategic
value." But the analysis concludes that it's in the interest of all, including China, to minimize conflicts in the Indian Ocean and keep trade routes open.
We should take the article's argument with a grain of salt. As matter of fact, China seeks for strategic military and values in the Indian Ocean ports as well as the Bay of Bangle's ports. There is no reason to think,
logically, China can run a pipeline, bound china's western provinces the whole way through hostile areas and India from Gwadar-Pakistan, to carry crude oil. However the article's china's economic motive hypothesis may hold true ONLY for Burma's port facilities in the bay of Bangle and to some extent Bangladesh.
The reality is China's naval military capability has been expanding. It shifts the balance of geo-economic and alters the form of geopolitics across the region. Every single country across the region will react based on its aggregate capability.
Certainly it does emphasize forming of a multilateral, unified cooperation across South and SE Asia.
Energy and Environment for Development - Policy Analysis Research Group
As tension escalates in the US - Pakistan relation, the ground is prepared for the presence of China, right at the doorstep of the Persian Gulf. From energy security standpoint, it is one of the most strategic locations in the world. A naval armed force underpins in many aspects China's foreign policy, national pride and energy supply flow and security. Furthermore it gives China a new edge to effectively challenge the US presence in the oceans, in Asia and Persian Gulf.
Yale Global published an analysis that had been conducted by the Lowy Institute for International Policy, Sydney. It read that " Reports that Pakistan invited China to construct a naval base in Gwadar have reignited
concerns about Beijing's strategic ambitions in the Indian Ocean. For many China-watchers, the militarization of this commercial port - just 500 kilometers from the Strait of Hormuz - would confirm longstanding anxieties about Beijing's so-called "string of pearls" strategy. Yet there are few reasons to fear China's strategic weight in the Indian Ocean. The ports are, as China contends, conventional shipping facilities to connect landlocked Chinese provinces with trade routes. Transforming the commercial ports into
military bases would not only require extensive fortification but also convincing host countries to upend a geopolitical strategy balancing interests of China, the US and India. The ports have long-term strategic
value." But the analysis concludes that it's in the interest of all, including China, to minimize conflicts in the Indian Ocean and keep trade routes open.
We should take the article's argument with a grain of salt. As matter of fact, China seeks for strategic military and values in the Indian Ocean ports as well as the Bay of Bangle's ports. There is no reason to think,
logically, China can run a pipeline, bound china's western provinces the whole way through hostile areas and India from Gwadar-Pakistan, to carry crude oil. However the article's china's economic motive hypothesis may hold true ONLY for Burma's port facilities in the bay of Bangle and to some extent Bangladesh.
The reality is China's naval military capability has been expanding. It shifts the balance of geo-economic and alters the form of geopolitics across the region. Every single country across the region will react based on its aggregate capability.
Certainly it does emphasize forming of a multilateral, unified cooperation across South and SE Asia.
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