How China Built a Network of Ports Encircling the Globe
With shipping outposts on six continents, Beijing has cemented its trade dominance. That some could be used by its navy has other nations worried.
Illustration: Christian Capestany
Over the past two decades, China has invested tens of billions of dollars in building or investing in a global network of commercial ports on every continent save Antarctica. Dominating trade infrastructure through shipping, highways and rail is a central pillar of President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative, and it’s become a growing strategic advantage amid President Donald Trump’s trade war.
With the US retreating from foreign investment just as China accelerates, these projects have dwarfed similar efforts by any other country. China's state-owned or affiliated entities reportedly have invested more than $60 billion in 129 overseas port projects. Within this expansion is something the US and other nations consider a disturbing trend: As we explain in this Bloomberg Originals mini-documentary, many of those ports have potential military uses that experts contend could be exploited in a crisis.