China’s overseas bases

The dynamics between Pakistan and China have been closely followed by world powers and continue to be watched. The US and India — the latter not being a world power in the regular sense but certainly carrying the potential — have been particularly interested. The US Defense Department has released a statement that China may strategise the establishment of military bases in Pakistan and other countries with which it has friendly ties in order to protect the expansion of its One Belt One Road (OBOR) Project. This has been a silent nervous cry for the last couple of years by the Pentagon, and Delhi has also alluded to this before. The former has rivalled Beijing since President Trump uprooted policies and offended the Chinese government, seeing China’s growth as a threat to US status as world economic power. Paralleling that envy is the high-tension relationship between Pakistan and India, hence the reason why China’s relationship with Pakistan seems to be a perpetual ‘talk of the town’.

Pakistan and China have a healthy relationship at present. Islamabad has not thus far expressed opposition to rumours of a Chinese base in Pakistan. Pakistan lives and grows vicariously through Chinese expansion and development. However, it is cautioned to remain skeptical. Pakistan has far to travel before its systems are developed, even if infrastructure, metros and buildings are erected at a fast pace. The expansion of militaries is very much a money game, which we do not have. China allegedly seeks to build bases in order to protect its economic expansion Project OBOR, by capitalising on its existing friendships, which are centred on extracting economic benefit.

By building beyond its one overseas military base currently, in Djibouti, China is poised to become a superpower. All said, the better military protection will work to benefit Pakistan, being ill-equipped to handle the security situation on homeland as China pumps more money on our soil.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 6^th, 2019.

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