Biden briefed on Chinese effort to put military base in Oman

WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden has been briefed on what his advisers see as a Chinese plan to build a military facility in Oman, people familiar with the matter said, amid a broader effort by Beijing to deepen defense and diplomatic ties with the Middle East.

Biden was told that Chinese military officials discussed the matter last month with Omani counterparts, who were said to be amenable to such a deal, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations. They said the two sides agreed to more talks in the coming weeks.

China’s Foreign Ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment and the White House didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment. Oman’s embassy in the US also didn’t respond to a request for comment. Opening a base in Oman would complement Beijing’s other overseas military facility, which it refers to as a “logistics centre” in the East African nation of Djibouti. But the Pentagon has been saying for years that China wants to build more overseas military logistics facilities in the region including the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other nations in Asia, including Thailand, Indonesia and Pakistan. The precise location of the possible base or what it would house wasn’t immediately known.

A base in Oman would amount to a challenge to the US, whose Central Command oversees troops stationed around the region, including in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE. According to the American Security Project, Oman was the first Persian Gulf country to partner militarily with the US, signing an access agreement in 1980. Oman also sits near the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most vital shipping lanes for oil and liquefied natural gas. The strait becomes a focal point whenever tensions flare with Iran.

China has also stepped up its diplomatic involvement in the region, including well before the Oct 7 Hamas attack on Israel that killed some 1,400 people. In March, it helped broker a tentative detente between Iran and Saudi Arabia, after years of diplomatic deadlock between the historic rivals. China also held joint naval drills with Iran and Russia in the Gulf of Oman around the same time. China has also pushed for a ceasefire in the days since the attack by Hamas.

Concern over China’s rising influence in the Middle East has helped spur US efforts to keep its historic allies on its side. Plans for a trade corridor between India and Europe via the Middle East, unveiled at the Group of 20 summit, are part of that broader effort to create alternatives to China.