String of Pearls - Chinese and the Sea Lines of Communication

Check out the new wikipedia page I have created: en.wikipedia.org...(china)

The Chinese are prepared to build a series of naval bases from Hong Kong to Port Sudan in order secure future oil imports. It may be quite obvious to many that the Chinese have begun taking action in Sudan through the funding of the ongoing war in Darfur in order to secure long term oil contracts, and they have begun petitioninig the UN to allow peacekeepers into Somalia after a series of news reports about 'pirates in Somalia' (big surprise?). I think it is no coincidence that major news sources have been paying attention to Somalia. Certainly I never hear about pirate attacks off Singapore as often as I do Somalia.

Also, within the past year the United States established its Africom base, and Pervez Musharraf has resigned as president of Pakistan. I am not quite certain what to make of it all, so I hope to hear the best and worst from you guys.