According to The Washington Post, new construction was discovered in December by American spy services at a suspected Chinese military facility in the United Arab Emirates(UAE), more than a year after the country announced that the project had been halted due to concerns raised by the US.
Activities at a port near Abu Dhabi are among the developments in the UAE that have involved the Chinese military. According to a report published in The Washington Post, US intelligence was monitoring this because it was concerned that the UAE, a longtime security partner of the US, was building stronger connections with China at the expense of Washington’s interests.
The allegations came from records and discussions with senior officials in the Biden administration. Chinese military troops were also sighted near other important construction sites, which alarmed US authorities.
Chinese Military’s global expansion plan
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) efforts in the UAE are part of the PLA’s ambitious campaign to build a global military network that includes 10 logistical support sites and five overseas bases by 2030, according to one of the documents, which included a map of other facilities planned in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and throughout Africa.
According to the released files, the initiative was dubbed “Project 141” by Chinese military leaders.
“There are some people in the administration who think the UAE has fundamentally decided to work with us. I do not believe that” a senior administration official was quoted as saying in the report.
US concerns over Chinese military presence in UAE
The UAE’s leaders “think that China is hugely important right now and rising in the Middle East,” the official added. The Chinese Embassy’s spokesman in Washington, Liu Pengyu, stated that US fears over China’s military facilities are unfounded.
“As a principle, China conducts normal law enforcement and security cooperation with other countries based on equality and mutual benefit,” said Liu.
“The U.S. runs more than 800 overseas military bases, which has caused concern by many countries around the world. It is in no position to criticize other countries,” he further stated.
The US officials stressed that they would not allow a Chinese base to become operational in the UAE, claiming that such a site would jeopardize key US military operations in the Middle East.
“UAE is a close partner, and we are regularly engaged with its senior leadership on several regional and global matters,” said a second senior administration official.