Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port could be China’s top choice for next naval base: report
- According to the US-based AidData research project, the port is the most likely spot for a base given the US$2.19 billion Beijing has already invested there
- Colombo has said it would not allow the facility to host any foreign armed forces
“China’s single largest port investment anywhere is at Hambantota, and Beijing exercises direct control over the facility,” said AidData, which released the report on Thursday. “Coupled with its strategic location, the popularity of China among elites and the population, and Sri Lanka’s alignment with China in UNGA voting, Hambantota is our top candidate for a future base.”
For years, observers have tried to parse the extent that China uses its economic clout to advance its military ambitions.
The Asian nation has the world’s largest navy by number of warships, and its construction and engineering companies are busy building port facilities around the world. It provided loans and grants worth nearly US$30 billion from 2000-2021 to build or expand 78 ports in 46 countries, the AidData report said.
The defence ministry in Beijing didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the AidData report.
Commercial imagery company BlackSky said this week that recent photos showed a China-funded naval base in Cambodia has neared completion. The facility includes new piers able to support aircraft carriers.
Leaders in Colombo have said they won’t allow the Hambantota port to host any foreign armed forces. A Chinese entity took over the facility in 2017 when Sri Lanka couldn’t repay the loans that helped build it.