LatestA new report by non-profit C4ADS suggests that China's "Belt and Road" seaport projects in the Indo-Pacific may be intended to serve strategic, military objectives. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is massive, with 15 port projects in the Indo-Pacific and a wide portfolio of other infrastructure investments. Officially, China denies any connections between BRI projects and its own strategic interests, and it advertises its investments as a "win-win" opportunity for "inclusive cooperation" with other nations, not a "tool of geopolitics." Other regional actors - notably India - are concerned that China's ports in Sri Lanka and Pakistan could be used to facilitate a heightened Chinese naval presence. The authors also examined the ways in which China's "Belt and Road" port investments have affected development in Pakistan (the Port of Gwadar), Sri Lanka (Hambantota Port) and Cambodia (Koh Kong).

Source: Sunday Times April 19, 2018 23:37 UTC