Is China building a spy base on Myanmar's Coco Islands in Bay of Bengal?

Is China building a spy base on an island in the Bay of Bengal? Indian authorities seem to think so. This news was first reported on 31 March by London-based think-tank Chatham House. The report stated that Myanmar’s Coco Islands – which are 55 kilometres from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands – are getting a “steady makeover, with tell-tale signs of military modernisation and facilities to support aircraft.” Let’s take a closer look: The report from Geo-intelligence researcher Damien Symon and Chatham House’s John Pollock noted that the Coco Islands have been at the centre of attention from analysts, journalists and policymakers for decades. The piece noted that the claim that Myanmar has allowed the Chinese to build an intelligence facility on the islands have been made since the early 1990s. The piece noted that while there has been little proof to back up such assertions, recent pictures have raised New Delhi’s hackles.

The Chatham House report cited photos taken by satellite imagery company Maxar Technologies in January.

The pictures revealed ‘renewed levels of construction activity’ including new hangars, a causeway and accommodations – all these near a 2,300-metre runway and radar station. Photos taken by the company at the southern tip of Great Coco show land clearing – which hints of further construction to come. What do experts say? Experts have raised concern about China’s growing influence over Myanmar given the fact that the junta is under heavy economic sanctions and has become something of a global pariah. “If China were to further apply pressure to the Tatmadaw, leveraging naval intelligence acquired from surveillance flights from Great Coco for desperately needed economic investment, it would give Beijing a key regional advantage over New Delhi,” the piece noted. “Were Myanmar to get the base fully established, surveillance flights could track movements to and from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands,” the piece added. [caption id=“attachment_12425942” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] There are clear signs of ongoing construction with new hangars at the centre of the image and new buildings located in the north. Image courtesy: Maxar Technologies[/caption] “Given China’s well-established intelligence practices, local intelligence from Great Coco could find its way, either through espionage or consent, to Shanghai. For India, Great Coco Island was in the past a place for outlandish theories. It may now become a real point of concern,” the piece concluded. Troy Lee-Brown, a research fellow at the University of Western Australia Defence and Security Institute, told SCMP the images suggested “a fairly significant build-up in infrastructure development” on the archipelago from “what used to be a pretty rudimentary radar station”. Added Swaran Singh, a political-science professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, “China is bound to be a natural suspect [for the installations] as it has both the intention and the wherewithal and, above all, it has secured access to the Coco Islands for the last 30 years.” India shares information with Myanmar, China responds Bloomberg reported that New Delhi is alarmed that such facilities will allow Beijing to covertly monitor communications from naval bases and even track missiles from test sites_._ As per India Today, this is because the Coco Islands is near the Indian Tri-service Command on the Andaman and Nicobar islands. Established in 2001, to defend India’s interests in Southeast Asia, the Tri-Service command has the Indian Navy, Indian Air force, and Indian Army working in tandem. Bloomberg reported that officials representing the Indian government have shared the details with their counterparts in Myanmar. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the workers were also seen extending an airstrip. External affairs minister Arindam Bagchi vowed New Delhi would take “necessary measures to safeguard its interests.” “The government keeps a constant watch on all developments having a bearing on India’s security,” Bagchi said. Beijing on Monday dismissed the reports of a Chinese spy post on Coco Islands as ‘complete nonsense’, according to Bloomberg.

“The relevant report is sheer nonsense,” the Chinese foreign ministry stated.

A spokesman for Myanmar’s ruling State Administration Council called the allegation that China was building the facility in the islands ‘absurd’. “Myanmar and India always have discussions at many levels, but there was no specific discussion on this issue,” Major General Zaw Min Tun said. “The Indian government already knows perfectly well that only Myanmar security forces are based there, and they are doing defense activities for their own country.” With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.