Where Will China’s Next Naval Base Be? New Report Lays Out the Options

File image of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy base in Djibouti. STR / AFP

Amid worries in Washington about the expansion of China’s global military reach, a new report by AidData, a research lab at the College of William and Mary, identifies eight locations for possible future bases.

Recent reports that a pier at the Ream naval base in Cambodia, which is being built by Chinese contractors, resembles those at China’s only official overseas base in Djibouti have again sparked speculation about whether Ream might be used by the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). AidData’s suggestions in some cases overlap with U.S. intelligence assessments but draw in commercial data to refine strategic considerations.

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by Cobus van Staden

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