{"id":52445,"date":"2025-06-29T13:30:23","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T08:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=52445"},"modified":"2025-06-30T17:59:38","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T12:29:38","slug":"indias-china-challenge-in-the-indian-ocean-strategic-contest-for-primacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/indias-china-challenge-in-the-indian-ocean-strategic-contest-for-primacy\/","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s China Challenge in the Indian Ocean: Strategic Contest for Primacy"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>India\u2019s China challenge in the Indian Ocean Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs has flagged the growing presence of extra-regional powers in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) as a major strategic challenge, especially China\u2019s expanding footprint.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Significance of the Indian Ocean<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since the early 2000s, the <\/span><b>Indian Ocean&#8217;s significance has resurged<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, becoming a <\/span><b>critical zone in global security and economic dynamics<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Rise of Regional Economies and Trade Networks<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The emergence of new economies, especially India and China, has increased the Indian Ocean\u2019s role in global trade and connectivity, turning it into a central hub of commerce.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Maritime Security and Piracy Threats<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The rise of piracy off the Somali coast highlighted vulnerabilities in Sea Lines of Communication (SLOCs), prompting enhanced maritime security efforts across the region.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Indo-Pacific as the New Geostrategic Construct<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Indo-Pacific framework, which links the Indian and Pacific Oceans, has elevated the Indian Ocean\u2019s strategic value, positioning it as a central axis in the evolving global order.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Chinese Advances in the Indian Ocean<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unlike its overt assertiveness in the South China Sea, China has adopted a long-term, calculated approach in the Indian Ocean, gradually enhancing its footprint through economic, political, and maritime initiatives.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Strategic Port Infrastructure and Political Engagement<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">China is expanding its influence in the IOR by:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Strengthening political and economic ties with littoral states like Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Bangladesh.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Investing in dual-use port infrastructure across the region.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Surveillance via Research Vessels<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">China has been deploying research and survey vessels in the Indian Ocean, docking them in countries like Sri Lanka and Maldives.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These vessels are believed to support underwater surveillance and data gathering, posing a potential security threat to India\u2019s maritime interests.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Launch of the China-Indian Ocean Forum<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2022, China initiated the China-Indian Ocean Forum, aiming to take the lead in regional governance and multilateral cooperation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s notable absence from the forum highlights a growing geopolitical divergence in the region.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Key Highlights of the Report<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs identifies the increasing involvement of extra-regional players, especially China, as a major strategic challenge for India in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Dual-Use Infrastructure and Surveillance Expansion<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">China is developing ports, airports, and logistics hubs for dual-use purposes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is also deploying survey and research vessels to gather sensitive maritime and oceanographic data, boosting its maritime domain awareness.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Naval Power Projection and Military Base in Djibouti<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since establishing a military base in Djibouti (2017), China has expanded its naval presence, increasing both the number of vessels and the duration of deployments across the IOR.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Strategic Assets Near India\u2019s Maritime Boundary<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">China is actively building dual-use infrastructure in IOR littoral states, including areas near India\u2019s maritime boundary, aiming to support logistical functions and assert maritime dominance.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>India\u2019s Response: Regional Partnerships and Sensitisation<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India is working with partner nations in the IOR to raise awareness about China&#8217;s long-term strategic intentions and the security implications of its expanding footprint.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Assurance from Sri Lanka<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In December 2024, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake reiterated that Sri Lanka would not allow its territory to be used against India\u2019s security or regional stability.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>India\u2019s Stand on BRI and the CPEC<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India maintains a principled opposition to China\u2019s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Projecting Leadership in Maritime Security<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India is emerging as a first responder and preferred security partner in the IOR, particularly in:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Developmental aid<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PM Modi\u2019s launch of the MAHASAGAR doctrine (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth for All in the Region) redefines India\u2019s regional vision.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Strengthening Regional Security Institutions<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India is actively reinforcing institutional maritime cooperation, aiming to exclude China from Indian Ocean affairs:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Information Fusion Centre \u2013 IOR (IFC-IOR)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quad and Colombo Security Conclave<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Naval Modernisation and Indigenous Capability Building<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India is investing heavily in the indigenous development and modernisation of naval assets, with a focus on force build-up and operational readiness in the Indian Ocean.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/international\/chinas-expanding-strategic-presence-in-indian-ocean-region-is-a-challenge-for-india-parliament-committee-report\/article69748570.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TH |<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.orfonline.org\/research\/jostling-for-primacy-india-s-china-challenge-in-the-indian-ocean\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ORF<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>India\u2019s China challenge in the Indian Ocean reflects a growing contest for maritime primacy amid China&#8217;s expanding naval footprint.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":52594,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[1105,60,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-52445","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-india-coastline-expansion","9":"tag-mains-articles","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52445","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52445"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52445\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}