While India and China are locked in a major troop confrontation in eastern Ladakh, India and Japan held a small exercise towards the Malacca Strait in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
Rajput-class destroyer INS Rana and Kora Class missile corvette INS Kulish took part in the exercise with J.S. Kashima from Japanese Navy.
Importance of Strait of Malacca
Freight and oil passage through the Straits of Malacca approximately to around 80% of China's oil imports, amounting to 40% of general consumption. This means the Strait of Malacca is an important strategic checkpoint for China's energy demands, and whoever holds the strait of Malacca has the ability to control these sea routes.
According to the experts, the aim of PASSEX (passing exercise) is to give an indication to China that India is upping its presence in the Indian Ocean Region.
Now talking about the South China Sea, tensions are all-time high between Vietnam and China after two Chinese vessels rammed into and sank a Vietnamese fishing boat. China is also showing aggression towards most of its neighbours which is acting as the catalyst for bringing regional powers together to counter Chinese aggression.
Role of India and China in IOR
The Indo-Pacific is increasingly becoming a geostrategic focal point for China and India, as both countries engage in the growing competition. While China has aimed to secure access to strategic ports to gain an economic and strategic advantage, India's role in the region is increasingly seen as a protector of the international order, particularly as it pertains to maintaining open sea lanes and the freedom of navigation.
The IOR is quickly becoming the home of a contest between India and China.
China is rapidly gaining access to military bases in the region because of its illiberal and predatory economic practices. Opaque contracts, predatory loan practices, and corrupt deals that mire nations in debt to advance its own strategic interests and gain access to key ports in the region. Sri Lanka is a prime example, of that in which China Successfully got port in Hambantota in a 99-year lease following Sri Lanka's inability to pay off a nearly $1.1 billion debt to China. Also, these four countries in the IOR, namely Djibouti, Laos, Maldives, and Pakistan, find themselves "vulnerable to above-average debt" to China.
Image Source: Geopolitika.hu
China is attempting to create a "string of pearls" or a network of strategic naval outposts to advance its economic, military, and vital interests in a region. It is a challenge for India because it can't allow China to replicate what it does in the South China Sea.
Steps, taken by India to tackle China
- India has negotiated agreements with several states in the littoral IOR to obtain military access to their bases. For example, agreement with Indonesia, Oman etc.
- India has engaged with powers outside of the IOR, like France and the United States through logistics agreements, which grant India access to port facilities at the U.S. base on Diego Garcia and the French base on Reunion Island to tackle Chinese presence in this region.
- India is engaged with other countries through the informal Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or the "Quad," which also includes the USA, Australia and Japan.
- India also participates in "Malabar" naval exercise with Japan and U.S.A, aimed to counter China in this region.
Diego Garcia
Image Source: The Diplomat
Conclusion
The Indo-Pacific is increasingly becoming a centre for a growing geopolitical contest, with China already making several moves from strategic military bases to predatory economics to advance its own interests in the region. India has begun stepping up and successfully engaging countries in the region to a degree of success. However, without the necessary investments in its hard-power capabilities, India's vision of a "safe, free, and open Indo-Pacific" will remain unfulfilled. India must take necessary steps to increase investments in its Navy as it looks to counter growing Chinese influence in the IOR.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the Indian Ocean Region?
Ans. The Indian Ocean is the world's third-largest ocean and constitutes about 20 percent of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the west by East Africa, on the north by India, on the east by Indochina and Australia, and on the south by the Southern Ocean off the coast of Antarctica.
2. What is Strait?
Ans. A strait is a narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water.
3. Which countries are part of QUAD?
Ans. QUAD includes Australia, India, Japan, and the United States.
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