UAE stops Chinese secret naval port project after US pressure

Washington: – China’s intention to use overseas commercial ports for its military ambitions has been exposed. The United States has pointed out to the UAE that China, which has invested billions of dollars in UAE ports, is conducting military operations in the area. A US newspaper reported that China was forced to stop these military activities following the US warning.

Using its economic power, China controls more than ninety commercial ports around the world. It was revealed that China was using some of these strategically important ports for its military ambitions. Denmark, Bangladesh and Maldives have since scrapped the agreements signed with China for its ports. China has once again been exposed with this report that China is using ports in Gulf countries like UAE for military ambitions.

Four years ago, the Chinese shipping company Cosco invested $1 billion in the UAE’s Khalifa Port. China has said that this port will be used for commercial purposes. But a few months ago, the satellite pictures taken by a US satellite showed major Chinese military movements in the port. China has erected large mounds of soil in that area to provide cover for these operations. The US newspaper claimed that the US has provided all this information to the UAE and expressed its displeasure. There is a US military base close to the Khalifa Port. The United States warned that the Chinese military movements in the Khalifa port would pose a threat to the United States and the flow of merchant ships in the Persian Gulf. The newspaper said that the United States also threatened to stop their aid to the UAE if it did not stop these Chinese military movements.

The UAE then forced China to halt construction at the Khalifa port. It is not clear if Chinese officials are still posted at the Khalifa port. China has not commented on the report published in the US newspaper. The UAE embassy in the United States also declined to comment. But it has further threatened China’s credibility. Earlier too, there have been instances of China betraying countries, which cooperate with it by carrying out such activities.