China plans to build military base in Equatorial Guinea along Atlantic Ocean, will pose strategic challenge to US

China plans to build a military presence in Equatorial Guinea in Africa along the Atlantic Ocean which would pose a strategic challenge to the US.

China is reportedly looking to build a military presence in Equatorial Guinea, which would be its second such facility in Africa and the first along the Atlantic Ocean. But China's options are not limited to the small country, according to Nikkei Asia.

Further, Beijing is based on ensuring that the host country is politically stable enough so that the Chinese will not be forced out if the local leadership were to be toppled,

Earlier, China's first African base is in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa which is near the US naval base Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti.

On the other hand, Joe Biden's administration has made clear to Equatorial Guinea leaders that "certain potential steps involving [China] and [its] activities there would raise national security concerns for us," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters.

Kirby said that Beijing "continued to try to coerce behavior out of many African nations and try to intimidate, use economic leverage to seek their own national security goals there."

Paul Nantulya, a research associate at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies says that China, no doubt, has a wide range of options to choose from when it comes to basing.

"Certainly China is not going to publicize discussions that it's having with African countries about issues of a military nature because these tend to be controversial," he said.

"However, if we look at China's operational patterns of behavior, there will be a number of considerations that the Chinese government will take into account," he added.

Earlier, an annual report on China's military capabilities released last month by the US Department of Defense states that Beijing has likely considered building facilities in Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the UAE, Kenya, the Seychelles, Tanzania, Angola, and Tajikistan.

Further, China will likely opt for partners with which it enjoys the highest strategic level of relations.

Also, Nantulya said that of the five tiers of partnerships it has, the "comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership" is the highest, and those that fit that category are Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.

"Even when relations are strong, whenever there are signs of instability, China has shown to be very cautious and very conservative," Nantulya said

"Beijing will also favor countries that have clout in the African Union and will be able to mobilize support and mitigate resistance to a Chinese base," he added.

Further, the prospect of the People's Liberation Army gaining a foothold along the Atlantic, in addition to its expanding Pacific presence, has alarmed Washington as tensions continue to simmer in the wider Indo-Pacific region, according to Nikkei Asia.

Earlier, Beijing's military capabilities have grown increasingly sophisticated and the US shift of its military focus to the Indo-Pacific could leave openings elsewhere for China to capitalize on.

( With inputs from ANI )

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