As China looks to set up second military base on foreign soil, what it means for India?
Hambantota port tops this list of eight international ports where China is most likely to land its second overseas base. China built a full-fledged naval base at Djibouti in the Horn of Africa in 2017.
Researchers at AidData, College of William & Mary in Virginia, US, identified Hambantota as the most likely location for China's second base. They arrived at this conclusion after examining the potential of 78 international harbours in 46 countries to become the base for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of China.
The report,'Harboring Global Ambitions: China's Ports Footprint and Implications for Future Overseas Naval Bases', says Chinese companies spent $30 billion on 78 different ports across the world. Researchers assessed and ranked the ports in terms of their strategic location, harbour depth for naval vessels, political stability in the host country and the host government's tendency to vote with China in the UN General Assembly.
The eight most likely candidates for a PLAN base are Hambantota; Bata in Equatorial Guinea, central Africa; Gwadar in Pakistan; Kribi in Cameroon; Ream in Cambodia; Luganville in Vanuatu, South Pacific Ocean; Nacala in Mozambique; and Nouakchott in Mauritania, northwestern Africa. 'A core assumption of our analysis is that Chinese financing and construction of harbour and related infrastructure, either through foreign aid or investment, is one indicator of ports or bases that might serve the PLAN in times of peace or war,' the report's authors, journalist and former British Royal Navy office Alexander Wooley and AidData research analyst Sheng Zhang said.
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