Image: Wikimedia Commons China is now funding airbase near Gwadar to block oil supply from W Asia to India
Islamabad: Beijing is now funding the development of the airbase near Gwadar port in Balochistan styled as Gwadar International airport, a move seen as an attempt to contain India's Indian Ocean Region (IOR) strategy, media reports said.
The move is also seen as an attempt to disrupt the oil supply lines from the Middle East to Indian shores.
The airbase will also help China in keeping an eye on Chabahar port of Iran where India has sanctioned USD 14 million for development of the port, sources tracking the development told The Pioneer.
The construction of the airbase began in January this year and the project is scheduled to be completed by the year end in December, they said.
The move, the sources further told the newspaper, is also aimed at counterbalancing operationalisation of the Sukhoi base in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu by India. The Thanjavur air base is used for patrolling the Indian Ocean and also conducts joint exercises with the Australian and Japanese air forces.
The base also gives leverage to India in patrolling the sea lanes through fighter jets on the oil and goods business supply routes between the Gulf nations and China.
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