Currently, China only has one military base in Djibouti, on the coast of the Horn of Africa. But, analysts say Beijing may be looking to expand its naval presence.

Chinese naval ships have been at a Cambodian naval base for the last 4 months… raising New Delhi’s concerns over the dragon’s increasing military presence in the Indian Ocean Region.

Two Chinese corvettes have had a “consistent presence” since early December at Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base, which is funded by China.

Why is China building its naval bases overseas? News9 Plus decodes

One, China needs to protect its expanding economic, political, and security interests abroad…

Two, China needs to protect shipping routes and strengthen its ability to resist sanctions from the US and its allies…

Three, overseas military bases facilitate the soft application of China’s growing hard power…

Four, China’s lasting economic growth depends on safe and sustained access to foreign natural resources and markets…

and finally, debt-trap diplomacy has long been China’s strategic approach to counter India’s growing influence in the Indian Ocean Region… and establish its superiority and hegemony…

Chinese army facilities in Argentina and Cuba can monitor space, and track satellites to eavesdrop on the communications of Western countries…

Where is China building its naval bases? 

Currently, China only has one military base in Djibouti, on the coast of the Horn of Africa…

But, analysts say Beijing may be looking to expand its naval presence…

Some possible locations are the Hambantota port in Sri Lanka, the Ream naval base in Cambodia, Bata in Equatorial Guinea, and Gwadar in Pakistan’s Balochistan province…

Should this worry India? 

Many see China’s expansion as an attempt to embed Beijing into the geopolitics of the Indian Ocean…

IOR is India’s exclusive economic zone, and China’s deployments are feeding fears of a strategic encirclement…

Additionally, the presence of Chinese vessels in the Ream Naval Base are a headache for India since it is significantly close to a strategically important Malacca Strait…

By expanding an artificial island in the Maldives… and investing in the Seychelles… seems like China is creating a second ‘String of Pearls’ connecting Africa, Pakistan, Maldives, and Seychelles…

India’s sustained presence in the Western Pacific could perhaps force Beijing to scale down its military expansion in the Indian Ocean…