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In addition to the economic importance of the Indian Ocean, China also
looked to the region for military and national security purposes. The People’s
Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) could not fully extend a comprehensive defensive
military “umbrella” over its vulnerable long distance SLOCs in the IOR.
Specifically, PLAN was acutely concerned that the Strait of Malacca bottleneck,
guarded and monitored by the Singapore logistic hub and by deployed elements
of the Indian Navy and the U.S. Fifth and Seventh Fleets, evinced an ever-present
threat to its freedom of navigation through the strait. China was worried about
the tangential threats posed by piracy in the IOR (i.e., in the Strait of Malacca and
elsewhere). Therefore, PLAN deployed naval assets on patrol in the Arabian Sea
to negate Somali piracy.
PLAN was equally concerned that the Strait of Hormuz bottleneck constituted
a threat to its oil and gas imports, being open to interdiction by Western
navies—including British and French naval assets, the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquartered
in Bahrain, and the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy. Although the Iranian
Navy was mostly limited as a green-water navy (apart from Kilo-class submarines),
its multiple offshore patrol vessels were antiship ballistic missile capable. 4
In the past, Iran had threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz and continued
to obstruct U.S. naval patrols in the Arabian Gulf. For instance, tensions were
rekindled in the gulf with the arrest and detainment of 10 U.S. sailors by the
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in January 2016. The sailors were
imprisoned on Farsi Island (a mid-gulf island outpost) and released the next day. 5
A January website article stated that “Iran released the two U.S. Navy vessels and
their crew members after the IRGC determined that they had breached Iranian
territorial waters ‘unintentionally’ on January 12.” 6 When questioned, “Maj.
Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi said the detainment and release of the two U.S. Navy
vessels ‘demonstrated the awareness and precision of the Iranian armed forces
regarding American movements in the region. It taught them how vulnerable
they are against the Islamic Republic’s mighty forces.’ ” 7 In the same vein, but
of lesser concern was the Bab el-Mandab Strait bottleneck, which had smaller
trade volumes (estimated at 8 percent), but led China to consider constructing
its first overseas military base at nearby Djibouti. Overall, these issues meant that
Chinese officials feared incursions that would lead to a lack of control over its
transportation routes and access to resources. They stated publically that powerful
Western navies could interdict or blockade oil and gas supplies, raw materials,
and essential bulk commodity shipments to its mainland ports. For these reasons,
China’s leaders believed in the long term that, as a country, China must take stringent
measures to exercise greater control and dominance of the IOR to safeguard
its economic and national security interests.
Consequently, China was taking all possible measures to overcome its logistical
supply chain nightmare. Key considerations included infrastructure develop-
48 The Dragon’s Pearls