India has also started forming counter-strategy against the “String of Pearls policy”. India’s counter is based on Chanakya’s principle of ‘The enemy's enemy is our friend’
- Keerthiraj
At the very outset, Asia's two giant
neighbors, India and China have maintained peaceful diplomatic relations in
pursuit of their economic and trade policies in the global level. This cautious
politics played by both the countries made us to feel like everything is right
between these two Asian giants. However, political and military strategists of
both the countries agreed that the real situation is entirely different than
this seemingly plausible politics. Indo-China war of 1962, still haunting both
the countries like cinder covered with ash. In addition, growing role and
influence of the two Asian giant neighbors in world politics may lead to a
clash of interest in Asian continent.
There are already a huge problem of
border disputes between India and China. Ranging from Arunachal Pradesh up to
Aksai Chin created a tug of war between India and China. In addition to these
traditional issues, the latest developments maritime politics is gaining more
importance. Rising interests of both the countries in South China Sea and
Indian Ocean made these two countries potential competitors in indo-pacific
region. China is claiming its authority over South China Sea based on a map,
belongs to nationalist China of early 1940s! China is currently busy with
installing missiles in the disputed Woody Island. China seized these disputed
islands from South Vietnam in 1974. Again, in 1988, the Chinese navy sunk three Vietnamese boats and 70 men killed in a
clash over the islands. It is nothing but a clear attempt to show
Chinese dominance over the South China Sea.
Vietnam and other small East Asian
countries are in direct confrontation with Chinese intensions in South China
Sea. In this struggle against China, United States of America and its regional
allies such as Australia, Japan, South Korea and Philippines back Vietnam. Strategic
interests of United Sates of in the region and the international liberal values
like freedom of navigation etc. pulled US into this region. India's foreign policy
in favour of free and open navigation in South China Sea, in a way supplements American
policy. Naturally China felt annoyed by this posture taken by India. This
conflict of interests proved India and China have the potential to be enemies.
On the other hand, India's investment in Vietnam’s oil deposits, as well as
Indian Navy’s tie-ups with the US, Japan and Vietnam’s naval forces to maintain
regional interest will be hard for China to push around. Furthermore, India enjoys
a traditional moral influence over this region. Moreover, recent trends
suggests, East Asian countries are ready to consider India as a strong regional
Big Brother and seeking to reduce the influence of China.
During the war of 1962, China achieved a
decisive victory over India. Most of the strategic thinkers opine, even though
China was in a decisive position, People’s Liberation Army of China (PLA) never
rushed to conquer India, because by that time China did not had a strong navy
and Indian Navy enjoyed supreme position in Indian Ocean! So the war was
limited to Indo-China borders in North. But, today's situation is much more different
than that of 1962. At present China established naval bases and ports at Gwadar
in Pakistan, Chittagong of Bangladesh, Hambantota of Sri Lanka and China is in
a dominant position to control many other naval bases. In a way China
surrounded India with the help of these naval bases. Foreign policy analysts
named it as "String of Pearls policy”! If any armed conflict happened
between India and China, definitely China will use these naval bases against
India and to sting India from different ways. Political analyst Prem Shekhar rightly
renamed “String of Pearls policy” as “String of Stings policy”!
India has also started forming
counter-strategy against the “String of Pearls policy”. India’s counter is
based on Chanakya’s principle of ‘The enemy's enemy is our friend’(Mandala
theory of Chanakya) Indian diplomacy is already successful in gaining the
confidence of anti-China powers like Japan, Australia, Vietnam and other
countries, which have disputes with China. Even though India can’t expect a
direct help from US against China, we should remember US interests are also
largely anti-China! In addition to all this,
the most advanced indigenous ballistic missile submarine 'INS Arihant' joined
the family of Indian Navy. This lethal submarine created horrors in the minds
of anti-Indian naval forces! It carries 12 indigenous K15 Sagarika missiles with
a range of 435 miles or four nuclear tipped ballistic missiles with a range of
2,200 miles. 'INS Arihant' is really going be a Hantak (destroyer) of Ari
(enemy) and the protector of India’s maritime security.
KEERTHIRAJ (keerthiraj886@gmail.com)
· Currently serving as a Faculty for International Relations and Political Science at Alliance University, Bangalore.
(This article was published in Central Chronicle on 2 March 2016)
