ISAS Insights

There are some very interesting developments in the maritime domain both in the Indian Ocean and also in the South China Sea (SCS). While China does have legitimate interest in the Indian Ocean, there are similar Indian interests in the SCS though India is not a party to the disputes in the SCS. China seems to carve out an ambitious plan in the Indian Ocean using some innovative instruments such as the Maritime Silk Road (MSR) to further its global reach and influence. To any observer it is clear that India has as much right in engaging the neighbours of China for commercial and strategic reasons. By all yardsticks India’s interests in the SCS and its engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other East Asian powers are consistent with its Act East policy to further its own economic and strategic worth. New Delhi’s increasing engagement with the United States which has even gone to the extent of accepting India as a major Non-NATO ally in principle and has introduced a bill which is expected to become a law after the due process in USA [NATO being the North Atlantic Treaty Organization] has ruffled the feathers of China which sees the actions of the US in the SCS as unwanted intrusion. It even accuses the US of propping up the claimants in South China Sea by quoting various provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and undertaking military manoeuvres in the area for protecting the concept of Freedom of Navigation. The developments in the South China Sea in the coming years will have an immediate impact on the region and also spin-off effects in the Indian Ocean where China seeks to establish its influence.