US to establish special operations headquarters to counter China in Albania

The US European Command (EUCOM) on Friday (local time) said that said it was establishing a special operation headquarters in Albania as part of an effort to boost capabilities as a keystone for regional stability.

Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern told Sputnik that the reason behind the US military opening a special operations command in Albania is because Washington is concerned about Tirana's ties with China.

He said that Washington decided to locate a base there "because they (US) just learned that Albania is a tight ally of the Chinese Communists."

EUCOM also said the base offers increased interoperability with US Albanian allies and important access to transportation hubs in the Balkans, reported Sputnik.

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in a recent analysis identified 135 Chinese-linked projects in the region worth more than USD 36 billion.

The types of projects range from collaboration with Chinese tech firm Huawei, blacklisted by the US as a security threat, to metallurgy, mining, energy, and transport initiatives.

Moreover, China has also expanded its influence in the region via a number of bilateral security, medical, and cultural agreements in addition to vaccine donations, reported Sputnik.

Earlier, Albanian President Ilir Meta during a meeting with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in October said that cooperation between the two countries has great potential.

The two sides also agreed to boost trade while China signalled that it stands ready to work with Albania to forge high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, Xinhua reported after their meeting.

( With inputs from ANI )