Here’s what China’s foray into the Middle East could mean for Taiwan

• China is building a new military base in Oman, which will complement its logistics facility in Djibouti and advance Beijing’s goal of establishing strong points in the Middle East.
• China’s increased military presence in the Middle East could prevent U.S. military forces from mobilizing and effectively redirect to Taiwan if Beijing decides to invade, leaving the island with reduced defenses, foreign policy experts say.
• “By establishing military outposts where US military power is strongest, Beijing is trying to disrupt Washington’s ability to redirect its forces to China’s periphery during a Taiwan contingency,” said Craig Singleton, senior fellow from China to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD). in a statement.

China is expanding its military presence in the Middle East, which could prevent the mobilization of US forces in the region if Beijing decides to invade Taiwan, leaving the island with reduced defenses, foreign policy experts say.

President Joe Biden was briefed by his advisers on Tuesday about a Chinese plan to build a new military facility in Oman on the shores of the Arabian Sea, which would advance Beijing’s goal of increasing its presence in the Middle East and abroad. seconds at Bloomberg. By establishing military strongholds in the Middle East, China can hinder and disrupt US forces in the region from effectively mobilizing and redirecting to Taiwan if Beijing invades, potentially leaving the island with capabilities of defense minors, according to experts in foreign policy.

“With all eyes on Israel, China’s under-the-radar but assertive pursuit of expanding military access to the Middle East warrants closer scrutiny from policymakers,” said Craig Singleton, senior fellow from China to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD), in a statement. “By establishing military outposts where U.S. military power is strongest, Beijing seeks to disrupt Washington’s ability to redirect its forces to China’s periphery during a Taiwan contingency.”

The Oman base would complement China’s military logistics facility in Djibouti and pose a threat to US forces stationed in the region, according to Bloomberg. The base would also be placed near the Strait of Hormuz, giving China access to a crucial shipping and trade route for oil and natural gas.

“A [Chinese Communist Party] base in Oman would have a significant negative impact on our ability to move forces out of the Arabian Gulf,” Garrett Exner, national security fellow at the Hudson Institute, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “It also helps China to control the two largest choke points of global oil flows and would threaten the entire concept of free trade of the seas that the world has relied on for centuries.”

China is also building another military base in the United Arab Emirates and is set to finish building a naval base in Cambodia this year. seconds to FDD. These bases will work in conjunction with a network of Chinese military and intelligence centers spread throughout the Middle East and around the world.

It is a fundamental objective for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to expand and exert “political and military influence in relevant regions”, especially in the Middle East, seconds in Science of China’s Military Strategy and Bloomberg.

Gordon Changforeign affairs expert and senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute, told the DCNF that both in the Middle East and globally, China would mobilize all available assets to work against the US and its Western allies during an invasion of Taiwan.

“If China were to invade Taiwan or some other neighbor, Beijing will use all instruments of power to prevent US forces from rushing into the region,” Chang told the DCNF. “Chinese base ships in the Middle East, China’s port operators in the Panama Canal and Beijing’s saboteurs in the American homeland will do their part. This will be a global struggle and all of China will be in the struggle.”

The White House and China’s foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

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