India-China Maritime Competition: The Security Dilemma at Sea by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780367729714
Google: EXH6zQEACAAJ
Goodreads: 55920111
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2020-12-18T00:00:00+00:00

Regional integration

China is also looking beyond bilateral engagement with the littoral states of the Bay of Bengal and has come up with regional connectivity initiatives like the Bangladesh–China–India–Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIM). The BCIM was first presented in the 1990s and was then called the “Kunming Initiative” connecting Kunming (China), Kolkata (India), Dhaka (Bangladesh), and Mandalay (Myanmar).23 The BCIM initiative was launched to promote trade and connectivity in the Bay of Bengal region, an area of common interest for all the nations involved. The Corridor proposes to build critical infrastructure in the four nations, connecting each other through road and railways.24 However, despite positive engagement from all parties involved and a shared interest, the pace of progress has been significantly slow. While India has been on board the project since inception, it has been unable to shake off its concerns and scepticism about working with Beijing on its eastern frontier. New Delhi is suspicious of China’s intentions in the Bay of Bengal and the larger Indian Ocean, and perceives its initiatives as a means to challenge India’s influence in the subcontinent. The proposed BCIM corridor runs through India’s troubled northeastern region, home to insurgencies and the point of conflict in the Sino-Indian War of 1962. Moreover, there is a history of Chinese support for the separatist movements in this region. Writing in 2011 about Chinese involvement in the region, India’s now National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval noted that the insurgents are trained in China and their supply of arms is routed through Myanmar.25 Although India is a member of the BCIM and is committed to greater connectivity in the region, an intensifying security dilemma with China is a challenge in realizing the economic potential of the corridor. Growing mistrust and deep suspicions have led New Delhi to take a cautious and slow approach to the initiative.

A more contemporary initiative in the Bay of Bengal is the Maritime Silk Road (MSR), part of the Belt and Road Initiative. The Belt and Road Initiative was announced by President Xi Jinping in 2013, unveiling an ambitious project connecting China with Europe both through land and sea routes. While the continental road traverses through India’s northern borders, the maritime route connects the Pacific and the Mediterranean through the Indian Ocean. The maritime route proposes a corridor connecting Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean via ports in Kolkata and Colombo. While New Delhi is yet to officially respond to Beijing’s invitation to join the project, the proposed route highlights India’s suspicions about China’s strategic ambitions in the IOR.

New Delhi is acutely aware of the security changes in its environment brought about by Chinese initiatives. Beijing’s presence in New Delhi’s maritime environment will continue to grow at an uncomfortable pace; the task at hand is now to manage the situation that follows such a fundamental shift. While India initially did not lodge any formal objections to Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, the lack of transparent process, poor details on the project, and an increasing mistrust in the relationship began affecting India’s decision on the project.

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