Regional influence: Beijing rejects US report

Staff Reporter :

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen has firmly dismissed the recent US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) report that suggests China is planning to establish military bases in several countries, including Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Myanmar.

Responding to a question about the DIA’s 2025 Worldwide Threat Assessment, which claimed the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is considering expanding its military footprint across South and Southeast Asia, the ambassador said, “It is a sort of report-it is untrue.

It is not the fact. It is not our intention. We have good relations with Bangladesh, Pakistan and Myanmar. We focus on our friendship. I don’t see any sort of necessity for China to have a military presence. I don’t know where the source of the report is. It is not true.”

The recent DIA report argues that China’s rapid military and economic growth is reshaping global power dynamics and claims Beijing aims to build military infrastructure in at least 18 countries, including Bangladesh, as part of its broader strategic ambitions.

The report lists potential sites for Chinese military presence spanning Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Pacific, citing a strategy to counter US global military influence.
It also outlines Beijing’s long-term objectives such as asserting dominance in East Asia, integrating Taiwan, and achieving technological independence by 2050.

While US analysts see this as part of a wider geopolitical contest, China maintains that its focus in the region remains peaceful and rooted in economic and diplomatic cooperation.