Chinese Overseas Port Holdings, which is a state-run company of Chinese government, took control over the management of Gwadar port, around 600 km (370 miles) from Karachi and close to Pakistan’s border with Iran.
The management of the port was handed over to the Chinese entity recently after previously being managed by Singapore’s PSA International. Following this, India’s Defence Minister AK Antony expressed concern about Chinese control of the port.
The Indian government have long been wary of a string of strategically located ports being built by Chinese companies in its neighbourhood, as India beefs up its military clout to compete with its Asian rival.
According to analysts, the port has the potential to open up an energy and trade corridor from the Gulf, across Pakistan to western China, and could be used by the Chinese Navy. Work on the port project, which is close to the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping lane, is said to be in progress.
It will enable (China) to deploy military capability in the region, said Jay Ranade, of the Centre for Air Power Studies and a former additional secretary in the government. Having control of Gwadar, China is basically getting an entry into the Arabian Sea and the Gulf, he said. China has also funded ports in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, and Chittagong in Bangladesh, both India’s neighbours.
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