China is expanding its access to foreign ports: Pentagon

China's efforts to obtain access to commercial ports in Africa, the Middle-East, and South Asia would align with its future overseas logistic needs and meet its evolving naval requirements, the report said.

China is expanding its access to foreign ports, like Gwadar in Pakistan, to pre-position the logistic framework necessary to support the growing presence of its military in the Indian Ocean and beyond, the Pentagon said in a report.

The Chinese Army’s efforts to obtain access to commercial ports in Africa, the Middle-East, and South Asia would align with its future overseas logistic needs and meet its evolving naval requirements, said the Congressional mandated report on increasing Chinese military power which was released by the US Department of Defence.

China in 2015 had announced its intention to build military facilities in Djibouti citing reason “to help the Navy and Army further participate in UN peacekeeping operations, carry out escort missions in the waters near Somalia and the Gulf of Aden, and provide humanitarian assistance”.

“China is expanding its access to foreign ports, such as in Gwadar, Pakistan, to pre-position the logistic framework necessary to support the PLA’s growing presence abroad, including normalising and sustaining deployments into and beyond the Indian Ocean,” the Pentagon said.

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The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is likely to use commercial ports and civilian ships to support its international and domestic logistic operations, resupply, replenishment, and maintenance, the report said.

Further, China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea are driving major logistic developments in the Spratly and Paracel Islands.