China is involved in expanding an airstrip, aircraft hangar and military modernisation in Myanmar’s Great Coco Islands, located close to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a report has said.
The small and remote island in the Bay of Bengal has been at the centre of interest for China since the 1990s where it reportedly made an intelligence facility, The Guardian quoted Chatham House as saying.
Satellite images of the island taken in January this year show signs of military modernisation, newly expanded 2,300-metre runway, a radar station and two new hangars.
Moreover, new images from March show evidence of land-clearing efforts on the southern tip of the island indicating indicate the likelihood of more construction work.
Reports said that Chinese engineers and military personnel have been spotted on the islands in recent years.
Though the Great Coco Island is relatively small at around 11 km in length, but its location is strategically important. It is not only close to the Strait of Malacca, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, but also lies in proximity to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which host Indian navy and air force bases.
The Chinese move in the island has led to concerns that Beijing could gain from the intelligence gathering, through espionage and intelligence sharing.
Though the images did not show any specific evidence of Chinese activity on the Myanmar island, but Myanmar has sought closer ties with Beijing and backed its claims on Taiwan.
Myanmar has grown increasingly dependent on Beijing after the February 2021 coup, where the military junta took over the reins of the nation. Myanmar’s military has sought closer ties with Beijing and has backed its claim to Taiwan and announced support to China’s “global security initiative”.
India has been monitoring the infrastructural developments closely and confronted with Myanmar after intelligence showed that Beijing was providing assistance in building a surveillance post on the island, according to Bloomberg. However, China dismissed the claims.
The developments in the Coco Islands have emerged amid increase in Chinese spy ships and surveyor ships in the Bay of Bengal and proposed radar in southern Sri Lanka.
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