Since president Xi Jinping assumed power in 2013, China has been on a quest to match its economic muscle with military might – and securing overseas bases is at the heart of this strategy.
It’s a campaign that has been driven by a major shift in traditional thinking in Beijing, which previously possessed a global outlook shaped by former leader Deng Xiaoping’s dictum: "Hide your strength, bide your time."
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China used to "pat itself on the back for not having military bases," Richard Bitzinger, from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore, said.
They were considered "outposts of colonialism", added the military expert. "And Beijing respected its fellow Third World…
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