⬆️ The #GreatEncircler says it is willing to upgrade economic corridor with #Pakistan & deepen ties with #Brazil

Put that way, it sounds like #China is only reluctantly agreeing to do that

#ChinaPakistanEconomicCorridor includes building roads & rail systems to link China’s #Xinjiang region to Pakistan’s #GwadarPort on the #Arabian sea

It's part of Xi’s #BeltAndRoadInitiative #BRI, in which civilian infrastructure projects also have military applications.

#GlobalSouth

https://apnews.com/article/china-pakistan-brazil-sharif-xi-alckmin-840a87521d23a6a00b053098f22c23cd

China says it is willing to upgrade economic corridor with Pakistan and deepen ties with Brazil

China's leader Xi Jinping has told the visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that Beijing is willing to work with Islamabad to build an upgraded version of an economic corridor linking their two countries. State broadcaster CCTV said on Friday that Sharif pledged to take effective steps to ensure the safety of Chinese workers in Pakistan. Five Chinese engineers working on a dam project died in a suicide bombing in Pakistan in March. earlier in the day, Xi also met with Brazil's Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, who expressed hope that Chinese companies would participate in a Brazilian government infrastructure program that includes railways, energy, port and airport projects.

AP News

Why has #China become so interested in #Maldives, southwest of #India in the #IndianOcean?

Look no further than The #GreatEncircler's audacious #BeltAndRoadInitiative #BRI ➡️ https://mastodon.social/@rameshgupta/111581761211435507

Given its strategic location southwest of India's southern tip, control of Maldives will tighten #Chinese #encirclement of India.

The islands sit along one of the busiest #maritime trade highways in the Indian Ocean.

#MastIndia #MastodonIndians @MastodonIndians

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/why-maldives-wants-indian-troops-out-2024-01-15/

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#China practically owns #Maldives and wants a #ChinaFirst policy there

Maldives, crushed under the burden of its debt to China— equivalent of 20% of its total public debt, will soon find out how much of a threat China is to Maldives' sovereignty.

Two weeks ago, Maldives "upgraded" its ties with the #GreatEncircler amid pivot from #India

#MastIndia #MastodonIndians @MastodonIndians

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/maldives-upgrades-ties-with-china-amid-pivot-india-2024-01-10/

#Maldives elected “pro-#China” #Muizzu in Nov2023.

Recently, #Modi promoted tourism in neighboring #Indian territory of #Lakshadweep.

Reacting to that, 3 #Maldives ministers— #MariyamShiuna, #MalshaShareef & #MahzoomMajid— disparaged #Modi, causing diplomatic row between the 2 countries.

Now, the #GreatEncircler seeks to round out its #encirclement of #India and insert itself into a "trilateral cooperation" in that row 🙄

#MastIndia #MastodonIndians @MastodonIndians

https://www.thestatesman.com/india/never-asked-male-to-reject-new-delhi-china-amid-india-maldives-row-1503257577.html

Never asked Malé to reject New Delhi: Chinese media amid India-Maldives row - The Statesman

It further said that China's cooperation with South Asian countries is not a "zero-sum game".

The Statesman

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#China is a key ally of the ruling #military #junta.

It also has close relations with some ethnic #Chinese #militias along the shared border.

See, the #GreatEncircler gives oxygen to #ethnicArmies in #Myanmar while complaining of #encirclement ➡️ https://mastodon.social/@rameshgupta/111586219995010868

Rebels have gained control of a key town along the Chinese border. China, which has facilitated dialogue between the two sides, called for #ceasefire.

#ThreeBrotherhoodAlliance #Operation1027 #Oct27

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/myanmar-rebels-take-control-key-town-near-chinese-border-2024-01-06/

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The #GreatEncircler gives oxygen to #ethnicArmies in #Myanmar while complaining of #encirclement

#China's impatience with Myanmar #junta is likely to destabilize #India's neighbor to its south east.

The ethnic armies - collectively called the #ThreeBrotherhoodAlliance - had already laid groundwork for #Operation1027 (Oct27), a major offensive that has become the most significant threat to the military regime known as #Tatmadaw since it seized power in a 2021 coup.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/rebel-fire-chinas-ire-inside-myanmars-anti-junta-offensive-2023-12-15/

China’s Encirclement Concerns - FPRI

For almost two decades, Chinese strategists have worried about what they regard as the geopolitical encirclement of China. At various times, they have

Foreign Policy Research Institute