Work on 'Chinese military base' in UAE abandoned after US intervenes - report
Original reporting: Secret Chinese Port Project in Persian Gulf Rattles U.S. Relations With U.A.E. (Wall Street Journal)
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Source: The Guardian
Work on ‘Chinese military base’ in UAE abandoned after US intervenes – report
Satellite images reportedly detected construction of secret facility at Khalifa port amid growing US-China rivalry
Julian Borger in Washington
Fri 19 Nov 2021 18.13 GMT
US intelligence agencies found evidence this year of construction work on what they believed was a secret Chinese military facility in the United Arab Emirates, which was stopped after Washington’s intervention, according to a report on Friday.
The Wall Street Journal reported that satellite imagery of the port of Khalifa had revealed suspicious construction work inside a container terminal built and operated by a Chinese shipping corporation, Cosco.
The evidence included huge excavations apparently for a multi-storey building and the fact that the site was covered in an apparent attempt to evade scrutiny.
The Biden administration held urgent talks with the UAE authorities, who appeared to be unaware of the military activities, according to the report. It said the discussions included two direct conversations between Joe Biden and Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, in May and August.
In late September, the US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, and the White House Middle East coordinator, Brett McGurk, went to the UAE and presented the details of the US intelligence on the site to the Emirati authorities, with McGurk returning this week to meet the crown prince. After US officials recently inspected the Khalifa site, construction work was suspended, the report said.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/19/chinese-military-base-uae-construction-abandoned-us-intelligence-report
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