BEIJING: US President Donald Trump‘s tirade against Pakistan has appearedto further boost economic and defence ties between Beijing and Islamabad,as China is in talks with Pakistan to build its second overseas militarybase close to Iran’s Chabahar port, a report by Chinese state-run dailysaid.
The report link> says Trump’sJanuary 1 Twitter attack against Pakistan where he accused it of providingsafe havens to terrorists appears to be helping boost already close tiesbetween Pakistan and China.
It attributed Islamabad’s decision to allow Chinese currency in bilateraltrade and financing transactions as China has stepped up its investments inthe $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
The report quotes a ‘Washington Times’ report that China is in talks withPakistan to build its second overseas military base as part of a push forgreater maritime capabilities along strategic sea routes.
China opened its first overseas military base last year in Djibouti in theHorn of Africa, under China’s rapidly modernizing military extends itsglobal reach. However, China officially states that it is only a logisticsbase to service its naval personnel deployed for anti-piracy operations.
China began construction of a logistics base in Djibouti in 2015. It willbe used to resupply navy ships taking part in peacekeeping and humanitarianmissions off the coasts of Yemen and Somalia, in particular.
It will be China’s first overseas naval base, though Beijing officiallydescribes it as a logistics facility.
The facility could be built at Jiwani, a port near Iran’s Chabahar close tothe border in the Gulf of Oman, and is located a short distance from Gwadarin Balochistan province which is currently being developed b Chabahar portbeing jointly developed by Iran, India and Afghanistan to ensure a tradecorridor for Indian exports to Afghanistan.
On China establishing a military base at Jiwani, a professor at FudanUniversity’s Center for South Asian Studies, told the Global Times “bothBeijing and Islamabad have the ability to build a joint naval and airfacility in Pakistan, but it is unnecessary at this time”.