WASHINGTON – A top American general on Wednesday said China’s Belt and RoadInitiative could improve the Communist country’s “military posture” whileGwadar Port has the potential increase its strategic presence in the IndianOcean.
“China is pursuing long-term, steady economic growth that bolsters itsinternational influence and access to energy resources,” General JosephVotel, Commander of the US Central Command, told members of the SenateForeign Relations Committee during a Congressional hearing.
“Its Belt and Road Initiative (OBOR), which includes the China PakistanEconomic Corridor (CPEC), could serve as a stabilising, profit-generatingproject in the region, but could also improve China’s military posture,” hesaid.
General Votel said the collection of infrastructure projects provides Chinaaccess to Gwadar Port in Pakistan which has the potential to increase itsstrategic presence in the Indian Ocean.
“China also recently established its first overseas military base adjacentto the Bab al Mandeb (BAM) in Djibouti. While Beijing claims both locationssupport peacekeeping and humanitarian operations, the new military base andport allow China to project forces more permanently within the region andinfluence strategically valuable trade waterways,” he said.
China, General Votel said, also seeks to increase its economic anddiplomatic cooperation with Iran.
The general said like Russia, China has sought to arbitrate some conflictsin the Middle East region, offering to mediate between Saudi Arabia andIran. While China will continue to develop its relationships with nationsin the Middle East, Beijing will likely maintain its stance of avoiding amajor role in ongoing conflicts, he noted.
General Votel said an increasingly assertive China is not only testingRussia’s dominance in the economic and security arenas of Central Asia butalso posing challenges to US influence.
“China seeks to capitalise on regional concerns over what it perceives aswaning US influence and support,” he said.
Toward this end, Beijing is building and strengthening trade,infrastructure, defence, and political relationships across the MiddleEast, Central and South Asia, he added.