UAE halts construction of Chinese military facility in country after US pressure: Reports

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) recently ordered the halting of construction on a Chinese facility in the country after American officials warned that Beijing wanted to use the site for military purposes, ANI reported citing a top UAE source. Work at the Chinese site was halted at the request of Washington, according to Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the UAE's leadership, The Wall Street Journal reported. However, he stated that the UAE did not believe the facility was meant for military or security purposes, according to WSJ. According to those acquainted with the case, this project near Abu Dhabi was suspended after multiple rounds of meetings and visits by US authorities.

After intelligence services in Washington learned that Beijing was secretly constructing what they suspected to be a military facility at a port, the Biden administration cautioned the Emirati administration that a Chinese military presence in the middle-eastern country may jeopardise bilateral relations. Despite the project's portrayal as entirely commercial, US intelligence has spotted ships disguised as commercial vessels approaching the port that authorities recognised as a kind normally used by the Chinese military for signals intelligence collection, according to WSJ.

UAE never had agreement or plan to host Chinese military base

A representative for the UAE Embassy in Washington stated in a statement that the UAE "never had an agreement, plan, talks or intention to host a Chinese military base or outpost of any kind," ANI reported. This development comes at a time when Beijing has attempted to establish commercial ports in outposts around the world, in what many believe is a clear move to strengthen its military footprint. However, last month, according to various media reports, after significant US pressure, the Biden administration was able to suspend the construction of a covert development inside a Chinese shipping port in the UAE, one of the US's closest Mideast friends.

China has previously built commercial ports in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, as well as its first foreign military base in Djibouti. Earlier, the former administration of Donald Trump attempted to put pressure on the UAE to halt the project at the port, which is run by a Chinese shipping conglomerate.

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: AP