Chinese oversea bases

plawolf · Feb 6, 2018

SilentObserver said:
It would be manned by Afghan government forces but will also have a Chinese presence. Construction will mean Chinese contractors/army engineers, bringing in Chinese troops for security. Training of Afghan forces will be provided by China, necessitating Chinese troops.

Is any of this confirmed or is it conjecture?

China has built other infrastructure projects in Afghanistan without needing to deploy PLA troops as security.

Any troops Afghanistan provides would already be trained, and any additional training needed on new weapons and equipment should be minimal at best, as I seriously doubt China will be supplying much more than what the Afghan forces are already equipped with.

Any Chinese presence in the building of the base will be limited in both scope and duration.

Afghanistan is a worthless backwater without anything of worth to fund its development, which makes its people vulnerable to exploitation from warlords and foreign extremists.

Even a small sum to most people is probably a small fortune to locals. And with little to no education and medieval moral norms, if you flashed some cash, you will probably literally have a line of locals willing to dust off their ancient AKs and shoot whoever you ask them to.

When those poorly armed locals with next to no training try to attack professional foreign soldiers, the inevitable happens and they come home in body bags riddled with bullets, and the foreign soldiers now have a blood feud with half the village.

China would be stupid to want a piece of that crapcake.

China want an Afghanistani staffed military base on its boarder to police that area to stop extremists coming across before Chinese boarder security have to deal with them on Chinese soil. It is willing to pay for its building and upkeep, but what it does not want is Chinese boots manning it.

The whole point of the base is to stop extremists, so that means patrols and combat.

No matter how well trained or equipped, soldiers will die on such combat patrols, and any insurgents those soldiers kill in turn will have friends and family who will want blood for their deaths.

The literal whole point of this base is to stop, or at least massive reduce, Chinese security forces casualties and prevent China from becoming a target for extremists by not have extremists die by Chinese hands if possible.

Phead128 · Feb 6, 2018

China needs a naval base close to the Straits of Malacca, due to the close proximity Indian islands of Andaman and Nicobar which is a blocade threat. The perfect candidate would be Myanmar, such as an naval base at Kyaukpyu or Coco islands.

PanAsian · Feb 12, 2018

Posting this here since I can't seem to find the overseas deployments thread or was it renamed as this thread?

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Far away from home, Chinese peacekeepers in Lebanon risk their lives for peace
SourceXinhuanetEditorHuang PanyueTime2018-02-12

A Chinese peacekeeper in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was searching for idle mines scattered along the UN Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon on Feb 5, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua]
YAROUN, Lebanon - More than 6,000 kilometers away from his home and family, 25-year-old Li Junying waked up at 6 am in southern Lebanon and prepared to search for idle mines scattered along the United Nations Blue Line.

Unable to speak a word of Arabic, Li has no personal connection to the small Levantine country or its contentious neighbor Israel. Nonetheless, he is one of more than 400 members of the Chinese military deployed as UN peacekeepers responsible for overseeing calm in the sensitive area by the Mediterranean sea.

Officially known as the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL was established by the UN Security Council on March 19, 1978 to oversee the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. The international peacekeeping presence is deployed near the UN demarcated "Blue Line" separating the two countries.

Following three more Israeli invasions in 1982, 2000 and finally 2006, UNIFIL updated its mandate significantly increasing the number of peacekeepers and their responsibilities in the conflict zone.

The Chinese battalion of UN peacekeepers (CHINBATT) were part of the expansions, officially establishing itself in Lebanon on March 31, 2006. While battalions used to rotate about every eight months, troops are now stationed a year in the foreign country before returning to their home.

As a representative of China in CHINBATT, Sergeant Li and about 60 other men (some only 22-year-old) are tasked specifically to disarm over half a million mines left by Israel.

The majority of these fatal devices are densely packed along the southern border. Following the Israeli withdrawal in 2006, mines and cluster munitions have resulted in over 200 deaths and hundreds of more injuries.

"I was scared at first," Li admitted while recounting his first day in the field.

"Even though we were trained in China and (Lebanon), it's normal to be a little afraid. Everyone is at first, but there is a lot of supervision."

Despite his young age, Li is currently serving his second mission in southern Lebanon. He first arrived in 2013 when he was also tasked to clear the land of explosives.

Sitting next to him, 29-year-old Sergeant Jin Wei, who is on his third rotation in Lebanon, nodded his head.

"My parents were worried when I told them what I was doing," Jin told Xinhua.

"But we work very carefully and don't make mistakes."

Lieutenant Colonel Luo Qiang, the head supervisor of CHINBATT's demining team laughed in agreement.

"The Chinese are special," he said proudly noting CHINBATT's clear record of any accidents and injuries since the beginning of their work in 2006.

"We work professionally and we never make mistakes."

A Chinese peacekeeper in the UNIFIL discovered a mine buried underground along the UN Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon, on Feb 5, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua]
Mohammad Rida, a member of the Lebanese Armed Forces tasked to work alongside CHINBATT agreed.

"The Chinese are extremely professional, they work hard and they do a good job."

The task is not easy, and requires meticulous attention to detail. According to maps provided by Israel, the peacekeepers are given rough locations on the whereabouts of mines. Yet weather elements, animals, and people are all capable of unintentionally moving their positions.

"This is why we don't work when it rains," Luo said. "It makes it dangerous when the soil gets wet and the mines can potentially slide around."

Waking up nearly at dawn, they drive to the site about an hour away from the CHINBATT base less than a kilometer away from Israel. Upon arrival, they begin working in sections using a range of tools including larger mine detectors, hand shovels and small brushes to clear away dirt, stones and shrubbery in the area.

After mines are discovered in each section, CHINBATT then informs higher supervisors in UNIFIL who communicate with both the Lebanese Armed Forces and Israeli Army to inform them of planned explosions.

Once approval is received, TNT explosives are wired to each area with found mines and carefully exploded to deactivate the device.

"The work we do is difficult. It requires such precise attention and it is dangerous, but we are honored to be granted such a task and represent China in doing so," Luo told Xinhua.

A Chinese peacekeeper in the UNIFIL was carefully clearing the dirt covering a land mine planted along the UN Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon, on Feb 5, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua]
UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Michael Beary commended the contingent their progress and dedication in a visit to the site.

"The Blue Line is such a sensitive issue to both countries, and it's a strategic issue. And your work is helping to ensure that it doesn't become tense and that we can use the Blue Line as a reference. So everything you do is important. It's very valuable work. I really am proud of what you do here," he said during the visit according to a UNIFIL press release.

While demining is arguably the most important task assigned to the Chinese, it is far from the only activities they are responsible for completing on their mission. Other peacekeepers in the battalion are assigned humanitarian work and construction projects. Such efforts have included providing medical assistance and building roads for local residents.

Such responsibilities so far from home also come with their sacrifices. For the hundreds of peacekeepers, the year spent abroad far from home brings loneliness. Luckily, in the age of the internet, communication is only prevented by the time difference.

While on break, the CHINBATT members could be seen talking to family members over chat app WeChat, waving to children and wives across the ocean.

"When I go home, the first thing I do is see my children and wife," Luo Qiang said smiling. "And of course, I eat my favorite Chinese foods."

TerraN_EmpirE · Apr 9, 2018

Sri Lanka cedes major port to China, fueling tensions
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3 hours ago

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, an island nation in the Indian Ocean the size of West Virginia, has become another flashpoint in regional naval competition.

That’s because in December, Sri Lanka turned over the strategic port in the southern city of Hambantota to a
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company on a 99-year lease. The deal, which allowed the country of 20 million to lessen its debts to China, marked another toehold for Beijing in the heart of the Indian Ocean.

The Sri Lankan government officially sold an 80 percent stake in the Hambantota port to a Chinese state-owned company on Dec. 9 after falling behind in repaying $1.5 billion borrowed from Beijing to build it. That prompted complaints the deal was too favorable to Beijing and fueled
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about Sri Lanka’s soveignty.

The port is expected to play a key role in China’s Belt and Road initiative, which will link ports and roads between China and Europe. It’s been touted in the Chinese press as attracting further foreign investment and launching factories.

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, considered a
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with China, has reacted to the deal with suspicion, prompting Sri Lankan officials to repeatedly offer assurances the port will not be used by the Chinese military.

On Monday at the sprawling Sea-Air-Space Expo outside Washington, D.C., the naval attaché of the Sri Lankan Embassy in the United States, Rear Admiral Dharmendra Wettewa, repeated the assurances his government has made to India, that there would be no foreign military activity at Hambantota.

“The Sri Lankan government needs to be as transparent as possible,” Wettewa said, adding: “We have to walk the talk.”

Under the administration of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, since voted out in 2015, Sri Lanka extended billions of dollars in loans for mega infrastructure projects. But the Chinese investment has fueled protests and police clashes, over what critics see as Beijing’s excessive demands and unfavorable financing.

Wettewa said on the panel about international maritime cooperation, beside U.S., Australian and Italian naval officials, that his country has “no security or military relations with China.”

Sri Lanka has no special military reltaionships with any country, he added, but has strong lateral partnerships with India, Pakistan, Japan, Australia and the United States.

“On the commercial side, China has a lot of influence,” Wettewa acknowledged.

In late February, The Sri Lankan chief of defense staff, Adm. Ravindra Wijegunaratne, reportedly assured India that the Hambantota for would not be given to any foreign navy. He
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made the remarks at an Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue, in the presence of Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

“There had been this widespread claim about the port being earmarked to be used as a military base,” Wijegunaratne is reported to have said. “I can assure you in this forum that no action, whatsoever will be taken in our harbour or in our waters that jeopardises India’s security concerns.”

The comments came a month after Sitharaman publicly raised doubts about whether that China would confine itself only to port activities.

“Whether China will confine itself to only port activities in Hambantota port is a question,”
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newspaper quoted her as saying, “and I do not want to say anything further.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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taxiya · Apr 13, 2018

SilentObserver said:
It would be manned by Afghan government forces but will also have a Chinese presence. Construction will mean Chinese contractors/army engineers, bringing in Chinese troops for security. Training of Afghan forces will be provided by China, necessitating Chinese troops.

IF there is such a "Chinese base", and IF the Chinese presence is as you said "army engineers, trainers etc.". That is possible, but that is hardly a military presence that worth to be related to something like a military base. China has sent thousands Army Engineers to Pakistan to build the Karakurum highway. They were soldiers. The formation was renamed to a "civilian" outfit "China Construction Engineering Corps." since 1983. It is pretty likely it is this company doing the contruction in Afgahanistan if the report is true. They are ex-military unit, they are still semi-military organized. But it is more closer to an infrastructure contract, and certainly carries NO military role.

As "bringing in Chinese troops for security", that is unlikely, China has been conducting constructions in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, relying on local security forces. That is for many years. What is the point of changing that if it works well excepts upset the locals?

I am afraid this is just another scaremongering act by some (two) parties (and you know who) like "the Pakistani harbor is a military base", or "please open the wakhan corridor to transport supplies for me". The purpose is simple, to pit Chinese against Taliban or the locals to offload the fire on their ass.

Having a military base on foreign soil sounds "good", but does not serve well, quite opposite. Chinese know that. Chinese will avoid boots on the ground UNLESS 1) the locals can not do their job 2) the locals are committed to invite China to set foot. And the locals is not just a weak government who does not have the backing of population majority.

Lethe · Apr 13, 2018

Tthere was recently a short-lived kerfuffle in the Australian media about a possible Chinese base in Vanuatu. There may or may not be any truth to the story, but it provides another good example of western hypocrisy:

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Vanuatu has angrily denied it is in talks with Beijing about a Chinese military base being built in the Pacific country.

Foreign Minister Ralph Regenvanu said reports in Fairfax Media that the two countries were in preliminary discussions were false.

"We are a non-aligned country. We are not interested in militarisation, we are just not interested in any sort of military base in our country."

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said that was crucial for maintaining peace in the region.

"We would view with great concern the establishment of any foreign military bases in those Pacific Island countries and neighbours of ours," Mr Turnbull said.

"What those countries are looking to us and other nations for is investment in economic infrastructure and social infrastructure".

Fairfax, citing unnamed sources, said no formal proposal had yet been made but the prospect of a Chinese military outpost so close to Australia had been discussed at the highest levels in Canberra and Washington.

Remember folks, some countries are allowed to have foreign bases and other countries are not. Some countries are permitted to assert their sovereignty, while other countries are not. Some countries are deemed to have legitimate security interests, while other countries are not.

Hendrik_2000 · May 25, 2018

Likely Chinese Type 039 Song-class SSK in Djibouti on 1 and 4 April. No sign of the Type 925 that typically supports PLAN subs, but the Type 903 Tai Hu (889) was there on April 17.

jobjed · May 26, 2018

Hendrik_2000 said:
Likely Chinese Type 039 Song-class SSK in Djibouti on 1 and 4 April. No sign of the Type 925 that typically supports PLAN subs, but the Type 903 Tai Hu (889) was there on April 17.

Wow... a diesel sub sailed all across the Indian ocean to Djibouti.

Hendrik_2000 · Jun 1, 2018

It is obvious sooner or latter they will built the pier

China builds new facility in Djibouti base for anti-piracy operations
By Liu Yang and Yin Han Source:Global Times Published: 2018/5/31 18:38:39

Military builds ‘necessary facilities’ at Djibouti base
China will construct a facility at its base in Djibouti for anti-piracy purposes to safeguard peace and stability in the region and the world, the

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said on Thursday after Western media reported that China was building a dock for naval vessels.

"After holding talks with Djibouti, China has decided to build the necessary facilities at the base for either side to use," defense ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang told the Global Times on Thursday.

The construction was to "better fulfill China's international responsibilities including anti-piracy work and to maintain the peace and stability of Africa and the world," Ren said.

UK-based Jane's Defence Weekly reported on May 23 that "China has begun to construct a pier at its military base in Djibouti."

Satellite images showed construction began some time after the end of April, the report said, and that the newly constructed pier extended about 330 meters into the sea by May 20.

Ren also said that a forum on China-Africa defense and security will be held in China from June 26 to July 10.

Officials and officers of national defense departments of African countries are expected to attend it.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army support base in Djibouti conducted live-fire drills on May 12 to gauge the performance of weapons and to prepare troops for counter-terrorism operations.

The base is China's first overseas base and began its operation on August 1.

Source:

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Hendrik_2000 · Jun 7, 2018

Here is statement of MOD. Interesting location of all the pier in Djibouti seem like China own several of them via Adam Wang. The new pier will be big enough to accomodate Carrier!

China establishes new port in Djibouti base and realizes land reclamation of 330 meters in one month
2018-06-07 17:06:58
A spokesperson for China recently said that China and Djibouti have reached an important agreement and that China will build a new terminal at the Djibouti base so that the Chinese and Kyrgyz parties can use it together. The Chinese side stated that this new terminal is of great significance and is designed to better fulfill China's anti-piracy mission and to ensure peace and stability in the periphery. This is also the first time that Chinese officials have announced plans for the construction of a new terminal.

Not long ago, foreign media said that China has completed an agreement with Djibouti and will build a new terminal at the Djibouti base. It is expected that the total length of the new terminal will be greater than 450 meters after it is completed. According to satellite monitoring, it can be seen that in early May China began to build a new dock in the Djibouti-based Linhai area. The dock has a large area and can be completely docked with large battleships such as destroyers. Of course, Chinese aircraft carriers may also include them.

Foreign media reported that there was evidence of reclamation on Djibouti sea surface on May 7. China also dispatched large trucks to transport raw materials back and forth from Djibouti quarry. According to media reports, nearly a month has passed since June 6. The length of China's reclamation is about 330 meters. It is expected that it will continue to expand, and at least 450 meters. According to the South China Morning Post, the main purpose of establishing a wharf in China is to fight piracy and maintain the stable development of Africa.

Many military enthusiasts are aware that Djibouti's east side is the Red Sea, and it is a must-see route for the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. Its strategic location is special, and therefore it is also an important target for many countries. In particular, the port of Djibouti is the most ideal choice for the naval docking of many neighboring countries. The United States, France, and Japan have established large-scale military bases here, and China is the fourth country to establish a large-scale overseas base here.

Through the above figure, we can see the specific usage of the Russian port in Djibouti. The No. 1 represents the old port where the Chinese No. 039 submarine had just docked, and the No. 2, 3, and No. 4 represent the Doreha Multi-functional Port where China participated in the construction. In these three ports, No. 2 represents the Chinese container port, No. 3 represents the finished oil port, and No. 4 represents the port of cargo transportation. The number 3 is owned by Djibouti, and the numbers 2 and 4 are jointly owned by both China and Dubai.

As for this new dock can dock large battleships and destroyers, this indicates that the development potential of the port is great, and of course, it is also possible to call aircraft carriers and super large-scale weapons equipment such as nuclear submarines. This also shows that China has more stops in Djibouti and is completely free from restrictions. It can also complement the protection base.

This is actually much better than some countries are doing free cruising. China pays more attention to the actual infrastructure and values a more complete system.

Chinese oversea bases

plawolf

Lieutenant General

Phead128

Captain

PanAsian

Major

TerraN_EmpirE

Tyrant King

taxiya

Brigadier

Lethe

Captain

Hendrik_2000

Lieutenant General

jobjed

Captain

Hendrik_2000

Lieutenant General

Hendrik_2000

Lieutenant General