A Pentagon report reveals China is looking at setting up military bases in South Asia, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar. This has India on alert as Beijing pushes to expand its influence across the Indian Ocean
A recent Pentagon report has put a spotlight on China’s growing military ambitions, not just along contested borders, but also in friendly South Asian nations.
According to the United States Department of Defense’s annual assessment of
Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China (PRC) 2025, Beijing is exploring the possibility of establishing overseas military facilities that could extend far beyond its current lone base in Djibouti.
What the report says
The Pentagon report, submitted to the US Congress, notes that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is actively considering additional military infrastructure and logistical access in multiple countries. These would help support naval, air, and possibly ground force projection far from China’s mainland.
One of the most sensitive parts of the report for New Delhi is the mention of South Asian neighbours—Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar—where China has “likely considered basing” options. Pakistan is also on that list but is treated separately because of its well‑known strategic and defence ties with Beijing.
China’s interest in these locations is not happening in a vacuum.
Analysts often point to the String of Pearls theory, a strategy in which Beijing secures a network of ports, facilities, and relationships across the Indian Ocean to protect its sea lines of communication and expand influence.
Why this matters to India
For India, which views the
Indian Ocean as its strategic backyard, Chinese military basing even if limited to logistical facilities raises concerns. Such facilities, experts say, could allow the PLA to position assets closer to vital maritime routes such as the Strait of Malacca and the Bay of Bengal.
India is already boosting its own security posture: strengthening border defenses and expanding naval capabilities to counterbalance China’s expanding reach. Moves such as establishing new garrisons along the Bangladesh border and enhancing surveillance efforts near key chokepoints are part of this broader strategy.
Beijing has consistently dismissed interpretations of its overseas engagement as purely military expansion. At a recent press briefing, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said their approach to regional ties, including with India, is based on long‑term strategic cooperation and mutual respect, and accused the US of “distorting” China’s defence policy in official reports.
Still, defence analysts argue that even discussions about basing and logistics facilities in countries near India are enough to spark strategic recalibrations in New Delhi and beyond.
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