PrintMay 23, 2011
Pakistan grants China a naval base near Persian Gulf entrance
China is moving a big step closer to global military power with the news that Pakistan is permitting the Middle Kingdom to build a naval base at Gwadar, on the Arabian Sea, close to the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. Exactly as predicted on these pages on May 11, by James G. Wiles. The map below (courtesy of Google Maps) shows Gwadar at point A, illustrating the strategic location of Gwadar, able to command the approach to the Strait of Hormuz, through which passes a substantial portion fo the world's oil supply.
It may be satisfying to demand that America get tough with Pakistan. But that nation of 170 million people and a substantial nuclear arsenal has options, and is getting increasingly aligned with China, whose global geopolitical ambitions to rival and eventually surpass the United States cannot be dismissed.
This is a very serious development, even if one largely ignored in the popular media.
