Before the Narendra Modi government came to power in India in 2014, our neighbouring country of China had been on an expansive spree to extend its area of influence. The path of world domination lay in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) — home to nearly 2.7 billion people and a critical conduit for trade, commerce, and energy. The Dragon had been concentrating on the choke points of the Strait of Malacca, the Strait of Hormuz and Bab-el Mandeb in order to checkmate India in the area of its influence.
The Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean remained a major concern as an overenthusiastic Beijing wanted a strong foothold in the IOR, Africa, and other island nations, through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), CPEC and other Ponzi schemes. Additionally, by debt-trapping countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives, and Djibouti whilst usurping their strategic trade ports and islands, Beijing has attempted to see through its strategy of ‘string of pearls’ to surround India.
However, over the years, and after decades of negligence by successive UPA governments, India has finally become a master player in the region. It is now checkmating Beijing rather frequently with its astute planning and even better execution.
India pushes China to the edge in the Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is the heartbeat of China’s operation and New Delhi has carefully mitigated the Chinese threat there. It is pertinent to note that 80 per cent of China’s oil supplies pass through the South China Sea via the Strait of Malacca, and the growing Indian presence in its very close proximity has hampered China’s plan of world domination as its hydrocarbons supply from the Middle East lays in jeopardy if it makes any sudden moves in the region.
As reported extensively by TFI, China’s agitation in the region is palpable because New Delhi has actively started militarizing the strategically important Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal which is in extreme proximity to the strait.
The Union government of India has provided Rs 5,650 crores to develop military infrastructure in the region. As a result, the naval air stations INS Kohassa in Shibpur and INS Baaz in Campbell Bay are reportedly having their runways extended.
Once the runway at INS Baaz is expanded to 6,000 feet, the Indian Navy will be able to operate its P-8I maritime surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft from the Naval Air Station. Moreover, the Modi government is working on a plan to develop the Greater Nicobar Island as a regional hub with a trans-shipment terminal, a greenfield international airport, township and area development and a 450 megavolt amperes gas and solar-based power plant.
Apart from the aforementioned naval stations, India is also developing a deep-sea port in Indonesia’s Sabang, not far away from Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The port will bring India close to the Strait of Malacca and nullify the increasing Chinese presence.
Djibouti and the Gwadar port
China has a military base in Djibouti and a hold on Pakistan’s Gwadar Port, which helps it in building a presence around the Strait of Hormuz- the busiest sea oil route in the world. The Djibouti base happens to be critical because Bab el-Mandeb, a narrow passage happens to pass through between the Horn of Africa (Djibouti) and the Middle East (Yemen) respectively.
However, when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz, which is also described as the world’s most important oil chokepoint, India has gained an advantage with access to the port of Duqm in Oman that can be used for military purposes and logistical support. The Chabahar port, which is yet another strategic point located on the Southeastern coast of the energy-rich Iran, also gives India the opportunity of expanding its footprints and countering China’s hold on Gwadar port.
India has also signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) with the US that gives India refuelling facilities and access to the American base in Djibouti and the pact inked with France in 2018 gives the Indian warships access to French bases in the Reunion Islands situated near Djibouti.
Freeing Maldives from China and asserting dominance in the Mozambique channel
As for the Maldives, India freed the island nation from the clutches of the Chinese by providing a 500-million-dollar financial package and kickstarting the Greater Malé Connectivity Project (GMCP), dubbed the largest ever infrastructure project in the country.
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When it comes to the Mozambique channel, India seems to be enjoying a massive first-mover advantage on account of its engagement with the Vanilla-island countries. India is working towards building strategic military assets in two islands among the Vanilla islands- Agalega in Mauritius and Assumption in Seychelles, which have been leased to India.
Furthermore, India has been signing reciprocal logistics support pacts with like-minded countries that believe in freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region with an aim to counter Chinese expansionism that tends to destroy freedom of navigation in the international waters. India has already signed such agreements with Australia, the US, France, South Korea and Singapore. Countries like the Philippines which earlier used to be in Beijing’s corner have also switched ships and joined India.
New Delhi forges QUAD and walks out of RCEP
Moreover, India is part of the 23-nation Indian Ocean Rim Association which is increasingly looking to keep China out of the strategic waters. The QUAD is another welcome addition in India’s arsenal as the new world order is being shaped by this particular strong alliance to keep China at bay in the Indo-Pacific region.
The courageous decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government of decoupling itself from the hara-kiri Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) deal also hurt the Chinese who were hoping to get New Delhi on the table.
RCEP potentially includes more than 3 billion people or 45% of the world’s population, and a combined GDP of about $21.3 trillion, accounting for about 40 per cent of world trade. However, India’s decision to not join RCEP has reduced the potential impact of RCEP significantly — which for the time being, appears to be dead in the water.
PM Modi and his foreign policy are well and truly in perfect sync with the national interest of the country. The paper dragon has been cut to size on numerous occasions in the last few years. However, the battle is far from over. China had an absurdly long head start ahead of India but New Delhi is quickly catching up and sorting the geopolitical mess created by the Xi Jinping regime.