China has a political and advertising interest in climbing the port of Gwadar in Pakistan. It is of strategic importance because it will provide China with a port facility through the Strait of Malacca. This narrow confrontation can be closed through the Wartime Indian army. Gwadar is also an idea to be a long-term base for the Chinese army, in addition to That of Djibouti in the Horn of Africa. The new buildings now point to the next phase of China’s progression at the port.
Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) shows that a third new site of interest has been built in recent months. I’ve been following the construction. The d-atis Twitter account, which tracks Asian defense topics and specializes in symbol intelligence (IMINT), shared a tweet that appears on all 3 sites. These have blue roofed constructions that contrast with existing local fabrics and construction styles. They are a complex indicator of the next level of port construction.
Construction of the first site, closer to the port facility, began around May last year. The first of the features of blue-roofed buildings gave the impression in June 2019. The blue ceilings then gave the impression at the time of the site, further north, in September 2019. The third site site began to be ready in January this year and the blue roofs almost ended in July. The last two sites are closer to the highly refined Chinese complex built at the planned northern end of the new port.
This new site is the local hospital. Construction began in January this year. Its proximity to the hospital raises the question of whether it is similar to a pandemic. However, it began more than a month before Pakistan recorded its first case. And it turns out to be a separate compound. Therefore, it is unlikely to be an extension similar to coronavirus.
It has already been reported that these sites are barracks for the Chinese army. Given the low security, this is unlikely. A more prosaic option is that they are homes for staff to build the next phase of port development. This would possibly come with a Chinese naval base.
Chinese investment in the port is a component of the larger Belt and Road initiative. It will connect to China via roads, railways and pipelines. This larger allocation is known as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and may take up to 2030 to fully implement.
The naval aspect, however, can have an impact. If China based warships or submarines there, in all likelihood as a component of a long-term Indian Ocean squadron, it could simply adjust the naval balance in the region. For this reason, analysts will closely monitor the structure of these blue-roofed camps.
Use OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) for stories first. Author of several books on submarine narco, special forces and submarines. I write basically about submarines
Use OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) for stories first. Author of several books on submarine narco, special forces and submarines. I write basically about the most secret submarines and marines in the world.