The PLA at Home and Abroad - Strategic Studies Institute - U.S. Army

Port Country Relations with China Chinese Investment in Facility Type Development Status Draft Limits (m) Quality of Repair Facilities
15.5 Only small craft facilities currently available
Already well-established; construction of
new port-side fuel bunkering facility under
way; massive container terminal expansion
plan contracted out
Deep water; major container transshipment
port for Persian Gulf
None yet; 10 PLAN counter-piracy
task force visits through January 2010;
Chinese unofficial media reports bilateral
negotiations to establish facility
None yet; visited by many PLAN counterpiracy
task forces; reportedly under
consideration for Chinese supply access;
some security concerns
Salalah Oman Long-term stable and significant;
China imports 250-300,000
BPD of oil from Oman and is
purchasing LNG
National Dockyard Company offers range of
limited facilities and services
Container and bulk cargo Modest port; berth extension planned 16 outer channel; 6-20 outer
harbor anchorage
Aden Yemen Short-term but developing
steadily; recent energy, trade,
and commercial agreements
Container terminal under construction 12 Small repairs possible
Principal port for Ethiopian cargo transshipment;
containers and bulk cargo
Djibouti Djibouti Long-term stable and positive None; home to French and American
defense facilities, Japan permitted to base
P-3C aircraft for counter-piracy patrols;
visited by PLAN counter-piracy task force
12.5 500 acre shipyard. 2 600kdwt drydocks
planned. VLCC + ULCC construction
planned
Already well-established, but potential for
further development
Gwadar Pakistan Long-term strategic $198MM, technicians and skilled workers Large commercial port with
conventional and container cargos
(operated by Port of Singapore on 40
year contract) + Pakistan navy
PLAN’s current Indian Ocean port of choice
for repairs. Two drydocks available; one for
9.75 upper harbor; 12.2
approach channel; being increased
to 13.5; developing
16 m container terminal
Karachi Pakistan Long-term strategic N/A Pakistan’s largest port Already well-established; Bulk Cargo Terminal
and other expansion underway
up to 25,000DWT
To be constructed in 3 stages over 15 years 16-17 (future) Ship serving capabilities planned
Commercial; export of essential goods,
vehicle reexports
Hambantota Sri Lanka Short-term strategic $360MM export buyer’s credit from
China’s EXIM Bank
“built by Chinese enterprises”
342
Completed 7.5-9.15 Private repair yards available. Drydock
available for vessels up to LOA 170m and
16,500DWT
Chittagong Bangladesh Long-term friendly N/A Bangladesh’s main seaport: 6 general
cargo berths, 11 container berths (3
dedicated with gantry crane)
Large rice exporting port Under development over 3 years 7.6 N/A
Sittwe Burma Long-term strategic Assisting
(India helping too)
22 Excellent
Already well-established, but potential for
further development
N/A Large, sophisticated, commercial
ports, busiest in world: 1 terminal, 9
sub-ports. Military ports.
Singapore Singapore Long-term friendly, emerging
strategic
Table 6: Selected Potential “Places” for Access. 194
i . “Chinese-Assisted Pakistani Gwadar Deep-Water Port Starts Operation,” Xinhua, May 20, 2007, OSC CCP20070320968174; “Editorial: Gwadar’s Strategic Aspects are Still Relevant,” Daily Times, Lahore, Pakistan, December 23, 2008, OSC SAP20081223101005.
ii . “China-Pakistan Friendship Lasts Forever,” People’s Daily, October 20, 2008, OSC CPP20081021701002., iii . Khaleeq Kiani, “$60bn Income Likely from Mega Projects,” Dawn, Karachi, Pakistan, October 27, 2007, OSC SAP20071027099003.
iv . “Sri Lanka Inaugurates Port Project in South,” Xinhua, October 31, 2007, OSC CPP20071031968251., v . “Chinese Delegation Vies for Dedicated Zone in Sri Lanka,” Daily Mirror Online, Colombo, Sri Lanka, May 20, 2009, OSC SAP20090520549002.
vi . Zhang Xin, “Rumors on Ties with Sri Lanka Dismissed,” China Daily, July 4, 2009, OSC CPP20090704968025., vii. Kamphausen and Liang, p. 130.