China in the Indian Ocean Region—India’s Security Challenges

Indian Ocean third largest Ocean in the world surpasses the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Being world’s most populated Region one-third of the world’s bulk cargo and two-thirds of world’s oil ship tankers passes through the Indian Ocean. China’s interests in the Indian Ocean Region can be traced and backed by early 60’s. Ever since Beijing has been increasingly deepening its presence in the Indian Ocean Region for a variety of reasons such as oil trade and security etc. Over 30 per cent of China’s seaborne trade worth about $ 300 billion transits across Indian Ocean Region. Sharing a quarter of the world’s population China facing ever increasing demand for energy. China has little choice but to look beyond its borders for its energy requirements. Around 77 percent of its oil imports are sourced from West Asia and Africa and these are transporting through the Indian Ocean via Malacca Strait. Thus China’s dependency on Indian Ocean Region continues to grow for energy imports from gulf and to import resources from Africa and trade with Europe. With China steadily spreading its footprints in the IOR with increasing military presence and with rapidly growing its navy being equipped with warships destroyers and nuclear submarines through a strategy called ‘String of Pearls’ which can encircle India in its convenient time in the near future. So China has been emerging as biggest threat for India by analyzing its actions in the Indian Ocean Region and along with India-China border from Easter Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh as stand-off continues since June 2020.