Tim Diass in an interesting article written in the Energy Tribune says “On February 18, news broke that China took control of Pakistan’s Gwadar port as part of what Agence France-Presse (AFP) called “its [China’s] drive to secure, energy and maritime routes that also gives it a potential Arabian Sea base.”
However, fallout from China’s Gwadar ambitions had been mounting for some time. India, a long-time antagonist of Pakistan and China…” has not factored in the fact that China’s five year plan already discusses road and rail links from Gwader ti Xingiang’s Kashgar.
Main islands in the Inner Islands group of Seychelles archipelago (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Dr. Harsh V. Pant, with the Defence Studies Department at King’s College in London, said that given China’s reluctance to rely on US naval power for unhindered access to energy, it has moved to build up its naval power at “choke points along the sea routes from the Persian Gulf to the South China Sea…“India will have to be more proactive in China’s periphery. That’s sinking in but it’s too little too late so far…”
The Deccan Herald is a right wing conservative, revanchist Newspaper. Brig R S Chhikara writing for the Herald sees a despondency in the Foreign Office in Delhi.
1770 Bonne Map of Southern India, Sri Lanka (Ceylon), the Maldives, and the Indian Ocean – Geographicus – IndiaSouth-bonne-1770 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“Chinese challenge to India’s pre-eminence in South Asia has now been extended to small island nations dotting the Indian Ocean”. Chhikara adds “Developments in Male have to be seen in the context of similar loss of Indian influence in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh — not to talk of Pakistan apparently getting the better of India in a deal with the US in Afghanistan and the Chinese strengthening their influence in Nepal and Myanmar. With our difficulties vis-a-vis Sri Lanka, India stands isolated within its immediate neighbourhood. India has reason to be very worried while China and Pakistan could be laughing up their sleeves.”
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On Wednesday, February 27, 2013, flight EK707 touched down in the Seychelles islands with a high-powered delegation from Henan province in the Northern Central region of China.- The two-day mission in Seychelles was a further boost to the Seychelles-China relation and has set a new momentum for development of cooperation and exchanges between the Chinese province of Henan, Seychelles government, and its Ministry of Tourism and Culture.
Seychelles, Petit Police, Mahé Island (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Chhikara then laments that the “Maldives is strategically vital for India in the matter of security in the Indian Ocean region…India’s strategic and economic stakes in Mauritius are equally important.”
Delhi providing arm and training to the Seychelles defence forces. India extended a $50 million line of credit and $25 million grant to Seychelles in 2012.
Chhikara describes the fact that Bharat has been the main defense provider for Seychelles, the government there has now been awarded to Beijing.
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The first shock came when the Maldivian government unilaterally terminated an agreement with India’s GMR Infrastructure Ltd to operate and modernise Ibrahim Nasir International Airport in Male- The Maldivian Islamic Adhaalath Party, made it clear that it would rather give the airport contract to their friends in China.
- The second shock came last year when Seychelles reportedly made an offer to China for a relief and resupply base for the Chinese Navy.
Bharat is now trying to find a base in the Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagaskar. In both places, it will find touch resistance from Beijing and Islamabad
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Chinese warships near Bharati shores is a nighmare for Delhi. The so called “Indian Ocean” is becoming less and less “Indian.” Actually it was only “Indian” when Indo-Nesia, “Indo-China“–Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, Indonesia, and others were all called “India‘ by the different European countries. For the Dutch “India’ was Indonesia, for the French “India’ was Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia”, and for Columbus “India” was America. For Others “West Indies” was “India” and all the inhabitants of “America” were “Indians”.
Thus the Europeans called it the “Indian” ocean. In fact today it is more of a Chinese and Asian ocean and should be called “Asian Ocean”. There is noting “Indian” about an ocean that touches Madagascar, Australia and lands in between. Beijing is taking steps to convert the ocean into a Chinese lake. Chine is now deep-sea mining in the central part of the so called “Indian” Ocean. Its application has been cleared by an international body. This brings a lot of fretting to the Bharati Ministries of Defense and External Affairs. Delhi fears that Beijing may use it as “an excuse to operate their warships in this area”. If Chinese ships are guarding Beijing’s economic interests, in the middle of the ocean–can Pakistani warships and submarines be far behind.
July is a seminal even in the conversion of the “Indian Ocean” into an “Asia Ocean”. On July 19th the International Seabed Authority cleared China’s request for exploration and mining licenses in Southwestern “Indian” Ridge.
The Bharati Directorate of Naval Intelligence (DNI) has warned that this could have critical implications for India as the “Chinese would have reasons to maintain a continuous presence in the region”. This permanent presence has Delhi shedding bricks. There are short term and long term implications of of the Chinese foray into the oceans.
The DNI has raised the a,arm bells around the world. “It would provide them an opportunity to collect oceanographic and hydrological data in a legitimate manner. Further, it would also provide an excuse to operate their warships in this area.”
The DNI statement describes the level of panic in Delhi. The Chinese have repeatedly defined that they are only only trying to meet a growing demand for minerals, the Bharatis are paranoid– “the military implications of the move are evident and would need to be monitored by the Indian Navy”.
