China Controls Global Network of Strategic Sea Ports

China has acquired control over a global network of vital, strategic sea ports over the past decade, a report by the Washington Post said on November 6.

In 2013, Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping launched the Maritime Silk Road as the oceanic part of the Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing’s program to make the world more economically dependent on China. This sea route runs south from the coast of China through the Indian Ocean, goes through some of the busiest maritime choke points in the Middle East, crosses the Mediterranean Sea, and ends in Europe.

Ports around the world: When Xi announced these plans, China was operating in 44 ports. A decade later, China owns or operates ports in almost 100 locations across 50 countries, the report said. Many of these are along the most vital waterways for maritime trade.

• The Strait of Hormuz is a crucial strait in the Persian Gulf between Iran and the United Arab Emirates. China has revived an effort to establish military facilities at the Khalifa port in the U.A.E., just 50 miles away from a United States military base.
• The Port of Djibouti sits next to a maritime choke point at the mouth of the Red Sea between Djibouti and Yemen. China has one military base in this location, and United States officials are concerned it wants to build more.
• The Suez Canal is a man-made waterway in Egypt that connects the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea and provides a shortcut from Asia to Europe. Early this year, Chinese shipping companies announced investments in the ports of Ain Sokhna and Alexandria along this canal.
• The Panama Canal was financed and built by the U.S. to connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The U.S. shamefully surrendered control over this canal over two decades ago. China now controls ports at both ends of the canal.

Prophecy says: In Deuteronomy 28:52, God prophesied He would curse the modern descendants of Israel—mainly the U.S. and Britain—because of sin, allowing enemies to besiege them “in all thy gates.” China’s increasing control over strategic sea gates at the expense of the U.S. is one way this prophecy is being fulfilled.

Learn more: Read “Brave New World (Made in China).”