The parliamentary panel on external affairs headed by Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has expressed “concern” regarding the “escalating Chinese presence and its increasing influence” in the Indian Ocean Region, saying the development poses “substantial risks” to India’s national security and broader strategic interests.
Of “equal concern” is the “strengthening of the China-Pakistan naval nexus”, which not only facilitates joint military exercises, but also “advances Pakistan’s naval modernisation”, the committee said in its report on “Evaluation of India’s Indian Ocean Strategy” that was presented in Parliament reported PTI .
The committee said it believes that “these developments must be addressed with urgency, as they have the potential to shift the balance of power in the region, challenging India’s strategic autonomy and undermining its influence over key maritime chokepoints”.
The IOR has nearly 40 per cent of the world’s population, which is spread over around 35 littoral states. India has an extensive coastline of 7,500 km and more than 1,300 islands between Lakshadweep in the west and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the east, the government said, highlighting the significance of the region.
The report of the panel, runs into more than 130 pages. The ministry of external affairs has broadly identified three challenges in the IOR — the geopolitical challenge, maritime security threats and infrastructure and connectivity gaps.
The committee enquired about the “strategic challenges” faced by India in the IOR.
“In a written reply, the ministry stated that strategic challenges for India in the IOR include threats to maritime traffic, piracy, terrorism, concerns about freedom of navigation and overflights, and concerns of safeguarding of sovereignty and of independence,” the report said.
Another challenge is the “growing presence of extra-regional players” in the region, especially “China gaining a foothold” in the IOR, it added.
“China has been undertaking several infrastructure projects focussing on ports, airport and logistics sector for dual-use purpose, in addition to deploying research and survey vessels in the region to augment maritime domain awareness and collect sensitive oceanography and marine data of the region,” the panel said in the report.
It expressed “concern regarding the escalating Chinese presence and its increasing influence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), a development which poses substantial risks to India’s national security and broader strategic interests”, according to the report.
