China eyes military footing in Myanmar_ Thailand and Pakistan: US

The U.S. Department of Defense submitted its annual report to Congress on Chinese military power on Tuesday. It said China seeks to establish a logistics network that could cover much of the Indian Ocean. China has "likely considered" Myanmar_ Pakistan_ Sri Lanka_ Thailand_ Singapore_ Indonesia and other countries in Africa and Central Asia as locations for military logistics facilities_ according to the 200-page "Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China" This marks the first time that such an observation has appeared in the report_ said Zack Cooper_ a research fellow at the Washington-based think tank American Enterprise Institute_ in an AEI webinar. China has already made overtures to Namibia_ Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands_ the report noted. The new report places emphasis on "China's desire to act globally_" former Pentagon staffer Cooper said. Washington's belief in Beijing's power projection ambitions across the Indian Ocean stems from how China opened its first-ever permanent overseas base in 2017 in Djibouti_ on the Horn of Africa. The Djibouti site is China's only overseas military base so far. Beijing characterizes it as a support base for such purposes as humanitarian aid and escort missions. The Chinese military's presence in Djibouti provides Beijing with "the ability to support a military response to contingencies affecting China's investments and infrastructure in the region" and the roughly 1 million Chinese citizens in Africa and the 500_000 in the Middle East_ the Pentagon report said. The U.S. also believes that Cambodia has signed a secret agreement with Beijing to allow the Chinese armed forces to use one of its naval bases -- an account both Asian countries have publicly denied_ according to the report. Chinese investments in civilian ports across the Indian Ocean have been dubbed the "string of pearls" strategy to establish strategic footholds in key locations that may one day be used by China's navy. While the Chinese have not acknowledged the existence of such a strategy_ analysts have seen it as an attempt to encircle potential rival India. The Pentagon report said Beijing will at least double its nuclear warhead stockpile over the next decade from its current estimated level in the low 200s. It extensively discussed the Chinese strategy of military-civil fusion_ which includes "leveraging civilian service and logistics capabilities for military purposes."- source: nikkei.com