The US military is worried about China building overseas bases right next to their own

China is nearing completion of a "logistical support" facility in the East African country of Djibouti, and Beijing may soon look to establish similar facilities around the world, according to a new Pentagon report.

China started building the Djibouti base in early 2016, constructing it near Camp Lemonnier, a US special-operations outpost.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the base, located near one of the world's busiest shipping channels, would allow the country's military to "

As such, China's People's Liberation Navy is looking to establish more hubs "to be able to operate across the greater Asia-Pacific region in high-intensity actions over a period of several months," the Pentagon report states, adding:

"China’s leaders may judge that a mixture of military logistics models, including preferred access to overseas commercial ports and a limited number of exclusive PLAN logistic facilities—probably collocated with commercial ports—most closely aligns with China’s future overseas military logistics needs."

But around the same time, China itself suggested that more bases like the one in Djibouti could be in the offing.

Washington is not the only power that has expressed dismay about the Djibouti base and other activity in the region.

In India, the construction of the base added to concern Beijing was extending its "string of pearls," referring to its military assets and partnerships in the Indian Ocean and Asia-Pacific region.

The Djibouti facility is seen by New Delhi as a base for Chinese naval air assets, which could facilitate surveillance activity over the Persian Gulf and Indian's western territories. (India has also objected to China's planned shipping network with Pakistan, saying it cuts through disputed parts of Kashmir.)

India has tracked seven Chinese submarines entering the Indian Ocean since the end of 2013, regarding them warily. "The pretext is anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden," a Indian defense source told The Times of India in May. "But what role can submarines play against pirates and their dhows?"

More recently, India declined an Australian request to take part in Indian Ocean naval exercises, reportedly out of fear of antagonizing Beijing. (Though Delhi may also have doubts about Canberra's reliability.)

Australia and India, along with countries like Vietnam and Japan, have considered informal alliances to bolster regional security in light of growing Chinese influence and doubts about US commitment under President Donald Trump.

Those moves have not escaped notice in Beijing, which called them a sign of a lingering Cold War mindset, according to Hua, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman. "Some people approach and handle the country to country relations with zero sum opinion," she said.

The US military is worried about China building overseas bases right next to their own

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