China builds submarine base near Malacca Straits

East-Asia-Intel ^ | May, 2005

[TigerLikesRooster]

China builds submarine base near Malacca Straits

China is building a submarine base on an Indonesian island close to the Malacca Straits. Australia has protested the submarine base plan, according to diplomatic sources. The base would be the first Chinese naval base outside China.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Artist's view of China's Type 093 attack submarine which is capable of avoiding detection by U.S. anti-submarine aircraft. www.sinodefence.com

[TigerLikesRooster]

Ping!

[bbenton]

It seems like whenever we hear of a new Chinese weapon system it's designed to defeat American (Aircraft, tanks, radar, detection, insert here). I sincerely hope we are preparing for what is to come with these guys. But the good news is after we destroy it we can rebuild it then turn it over to the Indonesian Muslims.

[Strategerist]

Have yet to see this reported by a credible source yet.

Indonesians and Chinese aren't exactly the bestest buddies in the world.

[John Valentine]

I have to say that I profoundly doubt the veracity of this story. I would be staggered to the soles of my feet if Indonesia were to allow a foreign naval base on its territory. Not in this lifetime or the next.

[Strategerist]

It seems like whenever we hear of a new Chinese weapon system it's designed to defeat American (Aircraft, tanks, radar, detection, insert here). I sincerely hope we are preparing for what is to come with these guys

There's a whole cottage industry that generates pants-wetting hype articles about the Chinese military, mostly for various political axe-grinding reasons.

They bear a great resemblance to much of the stuff you saw during Desert Shield in the months before Gulf War I (Iraqi artillery better than US, "Million-Man Battle Hardened Iraqi Army", Robert McNamara running around talking about the US being stuck in trench warfare in the Kuwaiti desert for a year, etc.)

[nathanbedford]

I think you are right, at least I hope so. We can have no doubt what admiral Mahon would have to say about such a threat in such a strategic place.

[TigerLikesRooster]

I agree that this is a real serious development if it is true. However, I do not have full confidence on this report, either.

[mmercier]

Fear not, we are a decade or more ahead of the world in submarine technology and competent unit commanders.

This base will have a 30 hour lifespan in the event of open war, MOAB'S and all.

The Chinese bases off their shores we need to fear we will not hear about until after the fact of open hostility.

We are sitting pretty today; while tomorrow closing down Groton Electric Boat yard and the Portsmouth NH retrofitting facilities... Who needs them anyhow, until after the fact... as per usual.

[Redcloak]

And we mostly hear that from people who don't know beans about America's ASW capabilities.

[NewRomeTacitus]

I've been fighting with the Free Traitor faction for a long time. They see nothing beyond their personal enrichment and have no sense of loyalty or patriotism. These are the people who helped China get to this point and were right there urging Bill Clinton to go with whatever they were offering.

They are traitorous scum.

[mmercier]

>> There's a whole cottage industry that generates pants-wetting hype articles about the Chinese military, mostly for various political axe-grinding reasons.

I bite every time too, just like a big fat bass.

[Strategerist]

Also it's an incredibly stupid place to put a sub base. You want to be able to have easy egress and ingress with a variety of routes to choose.

Also it's nowhere near Taiwan.

[Paul_Denton]

Indonesians and Chinese aren't exactly the bestest buddies in the world.

Neither were the french and germans until the founding of the EU.

[Strategerist]

Thing is the hype of the Chinese military is reaching the point where's it's practically getting defeatist, almost counterproductive to what the original intent of the hype is.

I mean, we had a thread a couple days ago with multiple people talking about a Chinese invasion of the US mainland and us losing a nuclear war because "all of our nukes are old and wouldn't work."

Interesting psychology behind the whole thing...

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #13

If anybody puts a sub-base there, it is for controlling Malacca Straits, not 'liberating' Taiwan.

[Paul_Denton]

Also it's nowhere near Taiwan.

It does not take an "expert" to know that the Chinese want to take over that region. Not just Taiwan.

[endthematrix]

http://www.dhivehiobserver.com/speicalreports/China-base-in-Maldives0705051.htm

Get the skinny here.

A base on Marao in the Maldives. Not expected to be operational until 2010. According to the Israeli website DEBKA, the deal may have been signed and sealed in May this year during Premier Zhu-Rongji's visit to Male. (Has this happened yet?)


In January, The Washington Times published an internal report for US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld in which the “strings of pearl” strategy was posited, and the key under-construction Chinese bases that were identified were Gwadar in Pakistan, and facilities in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, and the South China Sea generally, but Indonesia is a new addition.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1403525/posts

[BIGLOOK]

Novel stuff........Malacca Straits ping!

[Strategerist]

My point is that the Chinese don't have the strength to dominate the seas around Taiwan currently or for the forseable future, so having two unachievable goals and splitting one's forces instead of one unachievable goal strikes me as pretty moronic.