Officers and soldiers of the Chinese naval fleet prepare to carry out an escort mission in April 2020. The 35th fleet went to the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia to escort civilian ships. Photo: Xinhua
Size of China’s navy may be closing gap on US fleet but what can the PLA do with just one overseas naval base?
- The US maintains nearly 800 military bases in more than 70 countries and territories
- If not keen to enter alliances, China could use access agreements and other arrangements to have strategic access abroad, says analyst
Officers and soldiers of the Chinese naval fleet prepare to carry out an escort mission in April 2020. The 35th fleet went to the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia to escort civilian ships. Photo: Xinhua
