China may have designs on becoming better partners with Asian countries, but for now, they'll have to start with North and South Korea. SCMP reports that Beijing, which has secured a place in the ongoing talks to end the armistice between North and South Korea, may be in a greater position to wrestle influence in the Korean peninsula away from Washington.
That, however, will open a lot of things previously unheard of in that part of the world. For instance, US presence in the Korean peninsula has been a fixture for a very long time. Add to that a shift of alliances-more Chinese partnerships rather than American ones, which would present a different look for the Asian regions as a whole.
China may be positioning itself in a greater role akin to the US-with bases in foreign countries. Forbes says that China is looking to put bases on the African continent. While they may have a long way to go in terms of putting bases not just on that continent, Africa may be a good start.
Prime location for Chinese bases include positions in Myanmar, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. This will effectively give them a presence in the Arabian Sea or in the Indian Ocean. China already is looking to stake a claim at port shares in Sri Lanka through China Merchants Ports Holdings, while in Myanmar, China is preparing to buy shares through a group of Chinese companies working together. They're already there economically; it's just a matter of time before they use bases to protect their interests.
Pakistan, meanwhile, has common interests with China-they're at odds with border dispute opponent India, which has a bigger reliance on Western countries. China is already warming up further with Pakistan, even taking part in the festivities during the country's Republic Day events.
This may effectively play right in China's "Belt and Road Initiative," which the US hopes to counter. It may even help China present itself to the world as a country able to do something that the US hasn't-to finally end one of the world's longest running wars by brokering a peace treaty between the two Koreas.
