![\"\"](\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Simonstown-Naval-Base.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nDespite Simon\u2019s Town\u2019s tranquil and quaint exterior, its location makes it a key geopolitical point in an international battle between the United States and China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Joel Pollak, the frontrunner to become the United States Ambassador to South Africa, explained the relevance of Simon’s Town in a global context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe reason Simon’s Town is important globally is the same reason South Africa has been important for hundreds of years,\u201d he told Biznews<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He explained that Simon’s Town is situated near the point where the Atlantic and Indian oceans come together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It has achieved elevated importance due to the Indo-Pacific’s role in international relations and its prominence in trade and military affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDespite the town\u2019s beauty and tranquil nature, it has been a point fought over by empires for centuries because of its strategic importance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt remains important. Although it is a small port, it can be expanded. It is an important naval station in the Indo-Pacific.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He added that there is great interest in what China might do if it gains more influence on the African continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n China has a pattern on the continent where it lends money to African countries with unfavourable terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When these countries cannot pay, China will seize key assets in these countries, including ports, airports, mines, and infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is a real concern that South Africa\u2019s closeness to China could lead to it taking over key strategic assets that are important to the local economy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another possibility is that China can take over military installations that are important to maintain peace worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pollak said the United States wants to create a peaceful global environment which favours economic growth and prosperity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n China, in comparison, wants to control its sphere of influence, whether it is in the Western Pacific or Indian Ocean. Simon’s Town is a key point in this endeavour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Simon’s Town, a small town in the Western Cape, has become a key geopolitical point in an international battle between the United States and China.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":811949,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12755],"tags":[21655,21739,21738,3024],"class_list":["post-811945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-property","tag-joel-pollak","tag-naval-base-simons-town","tag-simons-town","tag-western-cape"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/811945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=811945"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/811945\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":812085,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/811945\/revisions\/812085"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/811949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=811945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=811945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=811945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\n\n\nImages from Simon’s Town<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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