China, which is trying to encircle India from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh, is now increasing its presence in the Bay of Bengal. For this, China has also started bringing Bangladesh and Myanmar in its court. China has made major investments in Myanmar in recent years under the Belt and Road Initiative. The Myanmar army, which took power after the coup, also enjoys the protection of China. This is the reason why China is now increasing its military presence after gifting a submarine to the Myanmar Navy, the Morning Express has reported.
Defense expert HI Sutton, who monitors the activities of submarines around the world, was quoted as saying that China has built a huge dry dock at the Myanmar Navy shipyard.
The 40,000-tonne dry dock is being built at a green-field site north of Thilawa Shipyard on Myanmar's Yangon River. It is feared that China may use this dry dock in future and may create challenges for India.
How can China increase the threat to India?Defense experts believe that India needs to be alert to China's gimmicks. Whether it is part of Arunachal Pradesh or Ladakh, the intention of China has not been very right. In such a situation, even though China is increasing its military presence in the name of helping Myanmar's army, but it will not be surprising if it starts using the dock yard, which it has built itself.
The size of this facility is being told as 400 meters long and 150 meters wide. Although its mouth is narrow, its size is much larger than the warships of Myanmar. In such a situation, 2 types of speculations are being made. The first possibility is that Myanmar is preparing to build large warships or the second possibility is being expressed about its use by China.
China can use the dry dock built in Myanmar for itself and if this happens, the challenges in terms of security on the eastern side of India will increase. Let us tell you that India's only Tri-Service Theater Command is also in this area. It is located on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Visakhapatnam, the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy, is also adjacent to the Bay of Bengal. In such a situation, India is being told the need to be alert about the presence of China in the Bay of Bengal. Ignoring China's presence in this area can be overwhelming. Obviously, the Indian Navy will be cautious about this.
String of Pearls (Indian Ocean)
Building of Dry Dock in Myanmar comes amid reports that China is building a network of military and commercial facilities along its sea lines of communication, which extend from the Chinese mainland to Port Sudan in the Horn of Africa. The sea lines run through several major maritime choke points such as the Strait of Mandeb, the Strait of Malacca, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Lombok Strait as well as other strategic maritime centers in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Somalia.
Many commentators in India believe this plan, together with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and other parts of China's Belt and Road Initiative, is a threat to India's national security. Such a system would encircle India and threaten its power projection, trade, and potentially territorial integrity. Furthermore, China's support for India's traditional enemy of Pakistan and its Gwadar Port is viewed as a threat, compounded by fears that China may develop an overseas naval military base in Gwadar, which could allow China to conduct expeditionary warfare in the Indian Ocean Region. From the east, the deep-water port of Kyaukpyu (Myanmar) is also viewed with a similar concern.
The emergence of the String of Pearls is indicative of China's growing geopolitical influence through concerted efforts to increase access to ports and airfields, expand and modernize military forces, and foster stronger diplomatic relationships with trading partners. [String of Pearls: Meeting the challenge of China's rising power across the Asian littoral by Christopher J. Pehrson]
Is China Building a New String of Pearls in the Atlantic Ocean?
On December 5, 2021, the Wall Street Journal reported that China is seeking to establish a permanent military facility in the Central African nation of Equatorial Guinea. While the Equatorial Guinean government has so far denied the reports, U.S. defense officials have raised concerns about the possible plan. If the reports are true, and if China is able to construct a military base on the Atlantic Ocean, it would mark an important step forward in the China's strategy to expand its global power projection capabilities and would add to China's current effort to build a global network of dual-use facilities that could be transformed into forward operating bases, according to Bonny Lin, a senior fellow for Asian security and director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C.
While China has yet to officially comment on its military intentions in Equatorial Guinea, Beijing has already started making a case for a military base in the Gulf of Guinea. In 2016, in response to questions about China's military facility in Djibouti, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi explained that China would build "some necessary infrastructure and logistical capacities in regions with a concentration of Chinese interests." China used its anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and desire to secure critical international sea lines of communication as justification for Djibouti.
Regardless of the outcome of the possible PLA base in Equatorial Guinea, China will continue to increase its global military influence. It will almost certainly establish additional overseas military facilities and access points and its ability to project power will expand. A new era of Chinese military capabilities has thus already arrived, Bonny Lin concluded.
