13.9 C
Athens
Τρίτη, 24 Δεκεμβρίου, 2024

China strives for global dominance through seaport control, say experts

Περισσότερα Νέα

- Advertisement -

China has been developing a strategy to take control of seaports across the globe in alignment with its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to achieve its geopolitical aims and acquire dominance in international shipping and global business

Experts believe that establishing ports in geo-strategically important countries, including those that are located near maritime chokepoints, is central to Beijing’s global strategy, the International Forum for Rights and Security stated.

“These port linkages allow Beijing to exert political influence not only in the country hosting the port but in surrounding countries as well,” Craig Singleton, a China expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told VOA. Growing Chinese investment in the maritime shipping industry, both domestically and abroad, should be a major source of concern for geopolitical rivals such as the US, Europe and India.

Presently, China is home to seven of the 10 busiest ports in the world.

According to IFRAS, China has become the leading manufacturer of shipping equipment as well, producing 96 per cent of the world’s shipping containers and 80 per cent of the world’s ship-to-shore cranes and bagged 48 per cent of the world’s shipbuilding orders in 2020.

- Advertisement -

The country also boasts of world’s second-largest fleet of commercial shipping vessels and, if the US Naval Intelligence is to be believed, China has surpassed the US in terms of total battle-force ships.

As a matter of fact, Beijing either controls or has major investments in all 15 of the world’s top 15 ports by container volume. Apart from this massive domestic shipping infrastructure, China has control over 100 ports spread across 63 countries and is looking for more.

Radio Free Asia has reported that China is building a new military base at Bata on the West Coast of Africa in the Atlantic Ocean in Equatorial Guinea (EQG). The US is concerned over this development as the Chinese military presence is opposite the east coast of America.

According to the World Bank, EQG is “well endowed with arable land and mineral/hydro-carbon resources ranging from timber oil, gold, uranium, diamond, bauxite and columbite-tantalite.”

In another recent opinion piece published by the Daily Mail, the experts pointed out that, of the 96 ports owned by Chinese companies around the world, several are at key locations for maritime trade, “giving Beijing strategic dominance without having to deploy a single soldier, ship or weapons.”

It is estimated that China now controls almost one-tenth of port capacity in Europe and the Mediterranean.

The “Big Three” terminals operators, China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO), China Merchants Group (CMG), and CK Hutchison Holdings are the key stakeholders in overseas ports with over 80 per cent of ports under their control. The first two are state-owned enterprises, while CK Hutchison is a private company based in Hong Kong with close ties to mainland China.

Notably, China’s Maritime Silk Road and BRI converge at the Greek Port and President Xi had personally pushed for the port with Greek leadership.

Another Chinese shipping company, COSCO is poised to expand its footprint in Europe by taking a stake in the port of Hamburg which, if the ongoing negotiations succeed, would be its eighth port investment in Europe.

Citing Radio Free Asia, India-Pacific Defense Forum reported that for years the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been funding the expansion of the maritime vessels to assert its claims in the South China Sea.

- Advertisement -

ΑΠΑΝΤΗΣΤΕ

εισάγετε το σχόλιό σας!
παρακαλώ εισάγετε το όνομά σας εδώ

The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

Ροή ειδήσεων

ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ

China’s Military Intervention in Africa

Africa has become a critical arena for China’s military and security strategy beyond its border. The establishment of the PLA overseas base in Djibouti...

Rising Online Surveillance and Deteriorating Internet Freedom in Pakistan

Internet users in Pakistan have reported widespread connectivity issues, including delays in social media messages, difficulties uploading files, and problems sending voice notes. These...

Deep Waters, Dark Secrets – China’s Role in Baltic Cable Sabotage

A Chinese bulk carrier, ‘Yi Peng 3’ is under scrutiny for its possible involvement in damaging two critical undersea cables in the Baltic Sea. It...

Africa’s trade deficit with China continues to widen

African countries suffer from the trade deficit with China, which has continued to swell. In 2023, the exports from China were in surplus by...

ΔΗΜΟΦΙΛΗ ΑΡΘΡΑ

Ουκρανικά drones «εξουδετερώνουν» Βορειοκορεάτες στρατιώτες και οι Ρώσοι τους καίνε για να μην αφήνουν ίχνη

Χιλιάδες είναι οι Βορειοκορεάτες στρατιώτες που πολεμούν στο πλευρό του ρωσικού στρατού στην περιφέρεια του Κουρσκ τις τελευταίες εβδομάδες, σύμφωνα με το Κίεβο και...

Παραδόθηκε στην Ουκρανία το νέο πακέτο στρατιωτικής βοήθειας από τη Γερμανία

Το υπουργείο Άμυνας της Ουκρανίας επιβεβαίωσε τη Δευτέρα πως παρέλαβε το νέο πακέτο γερμανικής στρατιωτικής βοήθειας. Περιλαμβάνει 15 άρματα μάχης Leopard 1A5, δύο αντιαεροπορικά άρματα...

Σπουδαστές της Σχολής Ικάρων άνοιξαν ελληνική σημαία κοντά στην Αγιά Σοφιά και συνελήφθησαν!

Συνελήφθησαν κοντά στην Αγιά Σοφιά, στην Κωνσταντινούπολη, το περασμένο Σάββατο έξι σπουδαστές της Σχολής Ικάρων (τρεις Έλληνες και τρεις Κύπριοι), επειδή ξετύλιξαν ελληνικές σημαίες. Οι...

Πώς τα νέα drone της Ελλάδας γίνονται ιπτάμενα ραντάρ

Τα Aerosonde UAVs, ως μη επανδρωμένα αεροσκάφη, έχουν χρησιμοποιηθεί σε διάφορες στρατιωτικές και πολιτικές αποστολές, κυρίως για επιτήρηση, αναγνώριση και συλλογή πληροφοριών. Αν και τα...