China seen basing troops in Mideast this decade to secure oil access

China is expected to deploy military forces and bases in the Middle East in the coming decade as part of an effort to protect its access to valuable resources like oil, according to British specialist on the Middle East Patrick Seale.

Seale told participants in a conference in Jordan last month that Chinese trade with Arab states amounted to $132 billion in 2008 and that its influence in the region was growing.

China remains heavily reliant on oil shipments from the Middle East, including Iran and Saudi Arabia and is developing a strategy known as the "string of pearls that is designed to protect – through both military, diplomatic and economic measures – sea lanes from the oil-rich region to China's coast, where most development has taken place.

China currently has an unknown number of military forces in Sudan, another major oil supplier for Beijing.
Meanwhile, a Chinese admiral last week urged China to establish naval supply bases overseas.