Biden has been briefed on what his advisers see as a Chinese plan to build a military facility in Oman, according to people familiar with the matter, part of a broader effort by Beijing to deepen defence and diplomatic ties in the Middle East.
Biden was told Chinese military officials discussed the matter last month with Omani counterparts, who were said to be amenable to such a deal, said the people, who asked not to be identified to discuss private deliberations. The people said the two sides agreed to more talks in the coming weeks.
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The precise location of the possible military facility or what it would house is not known. One of the people familiar with the matter described the Chinese role as more of a military presence than an actual facility or base.
“They emphasised the importance of deterring threats from any state or non-state actor seeking to expand the conflict and of working towards a durable and sustained peace in the Middle East, to include the establishment of a Palestinian state,” the White House said.
But the call with the sultan is particularly notable considering Chinese interests in the country. The Pentagon has been saying for years that China wants to build more overseas military logistics facilities in the region.
A facility there would amount to a challenge to the US, whose Central Command oversees troops stationed around the region. Oman also sits near the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most vital shipping lanes for oil and liquefied natural gas.
China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that cooperation with Oman “has yielded fruitful results.”
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“The two sides have a high degree of consensus on further developing bilateral relations and deepening cooperation in various fields, aiming to deepen the bilateral friendship and benefit the two peoples,” it said.