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| Image: Flickr User - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff |
By Benjamin David Baker
Chinese military installations in the Indian Ocean are still a possibility, not a certainty.
Is the “String of Pearls” theory valid? This is a debate which has been ongoing since the term was coined in 2005, when the US consultancy Booz Allen Hamiltonpublished “Energy Futures in Asia.” In this report, Booz Allen predicted that China would try to expand its naval presence throughout the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) by building maritime civilian infrastructure in friendly states in the region, a strategy dubbed the “String of Pearls.” Since then, there has been much speculation and debate surrounding the validity, extent and potential intentions behind the concept. Commentators here at The Diplomat have both supported the possibility and warned against the utility of the term.
The tricky thing about the String of Pearls debate is that there is a problem with definition. Looking at much of the available literature, the “lowest common denominator” definition is that each “Pearl” represents some form of permanent Chinese military installation in a series of locations along a “String” stretching from Southern China, through the Indian Ocean, to the areas from where China imports much of its natural resources, such as Africa and the Middle East.
2015 has been an interesting year for China’s presence in the IOR. Let’s take a look at some relevant 2015 facts about China’s engagement by following the supposed “String” from Southern China to East Africa.
Read the full story at The Diplomat