Publication

This analysis focuses on China’s naval policy towards the Indian Ocean and whether Beijing will eventually establish naval bases in the region. It concludes that although most states in the area do not want a permanent Chinese naval presence in the medium-term, this may not be true for Pakistan and states that have significant trade deals with China. The latter may find it difficult to deny Beijing’s requests for increased access to their ports, which means that the decades following 2020 might well see power shifts in the Asia-Pacific region that serve China's interests.