The Indian Ocean Front

Context: China sees Indo-Pacific idea in terms on balance of power, not for advancing common interests, in complete opposition to India’s idea of the same.

Different perspective of Indo-Pacific:

• India’s Justification: Shangri-La Dialogue in 2018, our prime minister presented its vision of Indo-Pacific

• It put emphasise on Inclusive, open, ASEAN centrality and unity.
• India does not see the Indo-Pacific Region as a strategy or as a club of limited members that seeks to dominate.
• It is not directed against any country.

• China’s Unease: It opted to undermine it as a rhetoric (“sea-foam in the Pacific or India Ocean that soon will dissipate”).

• Acknowledging inherent deficiencies: 

• Malacca Dilemma: China has been challenged by the dilemma that other would block the Malacca Straits to “contain” it.
• Possibility of India-US cooperation to counter China.

• Countering US Hegemony: Involvement of the US in the region pushes China to reconsider its above inherent deficiencies and countering it through:

• Militarisation of ports: Ports at Djibouti, Gwadar and Hambantota established by China have military possibilities 

• Conducting low key activities with reduce military interventions like detailed maritime surveys, ocean mapping and HADR.

• Not unnerving the Indo-US by cooperating at first and slowly penetrating in Indian Ocean.

• Recent Activity: 

• Chinese “civilian” vessels routinely conduct surveys in the EEZ of littoral states. 
• The PLA Navy conducted tripartite naval exercises with Russia and Iran in the Arabian Sea.

Conclusion: China should re-consider its position and view the Indo-Pacific idea as an instrument for advancing common interests, and not make it a source of conflict or tension.