Abu Dhabi: – Anwar Gargash, a senior adviser to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), admitted that the UAE had ordered China to stop the construction work in the Khalifa port, following pressure from the United States. While acknowledging this at a function organised by the ‘Arab Gulf States Institute’, Gargash reiterated that the construction was not for military purposes. Last month, a leading US daily reported that China had to suspend its military operations in the UAE port. The UAE has not made any official comment on the report.
‘After discussions with the US President and others, the UAE authorities ordered a halt to the ongoing construction from China. It would be foolish to ignore the concerns expressed by our allies.’ said Anwar Gargash, an adviser to the UAE president. Brett McGurk, a senior official at the US National Security Council, was also present at the Arab Gulf States Institute event. He pointed to the Chinese policy without directly mentioning the Khalifa Port issue.
The United States has made its position clear on what could hinder cooperation with partner countries. A country like China says we invest in building ports, and the operations are different. Brett McGurk lashed out at China, saying that these Chinese activities are now being eliciting reactions from around the world, including in the Middle East.
Four years ago, Chinese shipping company Cosco invested $1 billion in the Khalifa port in UAE. China had said it would use the port for trade. But a few months ago, photographs taken by US satellites showed China carrying out major military activities in the port. To prevent these activities from being detected, China had set up huge mounds of soil in the area. The United States has said in a statement that the United States had provided the information to the UAE and that it had expressed displeasure.
The UAE then forced China to shut down construction in the Khalifa port. However, UAE refrained from releasing this information on the official level.
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