China - growing threat - update

Recently I posted about the growing threat of China.

EU Referendum has some additional information.

The Washington Times, yesterday ran a long piece by Bill Gertz, headed: "China builds up strategic sea lanes", detailing how China is building up military forces and setting up bases along sea lanes from the Middle East to project its power overseas and protect its oil shipments.

This is according to a previously undisclosed internal report prepared for defence secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, which states that "China is building strategic relationships along the sea lanes from the Middle East to the South China Sea in ways that suggest defensive and offensive positioning to protect China's energy interests, but also to serve broad security objectives.

"This is known as the "string of pearls" strategy, with China setting up bases and diplomatic ties stretching from the Middle East to southern China that includes a new naval base under construction at the Pakistani port of Gwadar.

Beijing already has set up electronic eavesdropping posts at Gwadar in the country's southwest corner, the part nearest the Persian Gulf. The post is monitoring ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea, the report said.

There's lots more.
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