US intelligence believed China was intending to build a “permanent military presence” in the nation sandwiched between Cameroon and Gabon. Such a facility would be significant as it would give China its first base on the Atlantic Ocean. This would mean Chinese warships would be able to rearm and refit opposite the East Coast of the US, a threat that is setting off alarm bells at the White House and Pentagon.

US national security adviser Jon Finer visited Equatorial Guinea in October on a mission to persuade President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo to reject China’s overtures for such a project.

President Joe Biden’s administration had conveyed to the Mbasogo government any Chinese activity would “raise national security concerns”.

The report speculated China would consider building a military facility in the port city of Bata. Beijing had built a deep-water commercial port in Bata.

General Stephen Townsend, commander of the US Africa Command, had warned the Senate in April about the risk of China having a naval facility on the Atlantic coast.

He said: “This is something more than a place that they can make port calls and get gas and groceries. I’m talking about a port where they can rearm with munitions and repair naval vessels.”

The latest Pentagon report on China’s military modernisation had warned China was considering military facilities in Kenya, Tanzania and Angola.

In 2017, China formally opened its first overseas military base in Djibouti, on the Indian Ocean.

The facility has since seen the expansion of infrastructure to accommodate ships such as submarines and aircraft carriers.

China’s plans for a new facility on the Atlantic Ocean also shed light on the rapid expansion of its navy.

The Pentagon report had noted the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) was now the world’s largest navy, “with an overall battle force of approximately 355 ships and submarines, including approximately more than 145 major surface combatants.”

Unlike nations such as Kenya, Tanzania and Angola, a facility on the Atlantic Ocean would have considerable practical and symbolic implications as it directly challenges US hegemony over the region.

In addition, a facility in Equatorial Guinea is expected to provide options to deploy forces to protect Chinese investments in the western part of Africa.

—–By James Lee in Daily Express, UK, Dec 6, 2021 at 16:58 hrs https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1531902/China-news-military-warships-atlantic-ocean-Equitorial-Guinea-Beijing-target-west