Great Coco lies 55km from India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands; Beijing has denied it is involved in building a surveillance post there
said the Maxar images did not show any specific evidence of Chinese activity on Great Coco. However, since the coup, Myanmar’s military has sought closer ties with Beijing, backing its claim to Taiwan and announcing its support for China’s “global security initiative”.“Myanmar is desperate, it’s cash-strapped,” said Htwe Htwe Thein, associate professor at Curtin University.
The construction on Great Coco was provocative, he said, adding that it “presents a significant challenge to regional security, and will likely generate significant tensions between China and India in the Bay of Bengal”. Great Coco could be used as leverage in negotiations with Delhi, said Damien Symon of the Intel Lab, who co-authored the Chatham House report, adding that the Myanmar military was “well aware of Indian fears relating to Chinese surveillance of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands”.“Great Coco might be used to extract economic support and maintain engagement by the Modi government with the Tatmadaw [Myanmar junta] in exchange for naval delegation visits by the Indian navy,” Symon said.
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