China’s exploitation of overseas ports and bases

Abstract

This paper, authored by T.X. Hammes of the INSS Center for Strategy and Military Power, analyzes how the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could leverage its expanding network of overseas ports and bases to challenge U.S. maritime dominance in a conventional conflict. The study identifies three primary security concerns associated with Chinese port ownership and control. First, these facilities provide extensive opportunities for intelligence collection and surveillance of global maritime activity. Second, control over key ports could enable the PLA to disrupt U.S. and allied logistics or shipping operations during wartime. Third, the port network could be used to pre-position military assets, resupply naval forces, or establish anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) nodes near critical maritime chokepoints. Collectively, these capabilities would allow China to contest the sea control essential to U.S. operational success, underscoring the strategic significance of global port access in modern warfare and great-power competition.

Document Type

Article

Topic(s)

Military Strategy, National Security, Logistics and Readiness, Great Power Competition

Region(s)

Indo-Pacific, Africa, South Asia, Middle East

Publication Date

3-21-2025

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