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Can India’s Diamond Necklace triumph over the Chinese String of Pearls ? Discuss
Can India’s Diamond Necklace triumph over the Chinese String of Pearls ? Discuss
Chinese String of Pearls:
- It is an unofficial term which refers to the network of Chinese military and commercial facilities and relationships along its sea lines of communication, which extend from the Chinese mainland to Port Sudan in the Horn of Africa.
- The general aggressive outlook of China’s political establishment has convinced the international diplomatic community that China intends to encircle India commercially and militarily.
India’s Diamond Necklace:
- Whatever endeavours made by India to secure its strategic and commercial space in Asia is viewed by the same international diplomatic community as India’s Diamond Necklace.
- India’s Diamond Necklace could of course tend to be seen as India’s response to China’s String of Pearls strategy.
Elements of Chinese String of Pearls:
- Overseas military and surveillance bases: Cuckoo Islands (Myanmar), Djibouti etc.
- Military Exercises: Vostok (with Russia), Shared Destiny (with Pakistan and others) etc.
- Security groupings: Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and others
- Defence strength: China relentlessly augments its defence strength both quantitatively and qualitatively.
- Infrastructure projects: Belt and Road Initiative and its China-Pakistan Economic Corridor component.
Elements of India’s Diamond Necklace:
- Overseas military bases: Chang e base (Singapore), Duqm port (Oman),
- Military Logistics Agreement: LEMOA (with US), MLSA (with Australia), RELOS ( under negotiation with Russia) etc.
- Military exercises: Malabar exercise (with USA, Japan, Australia) and many
- Security groupings: Quad, Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), SCO (RATS), Shangri La Dialogue and others
- Defence indigenization and augmentation: Atma Nirbhar Bharat in defence is the major policy push. India is also emerging as a largest defence importer in the world.
- Infrastructure projects: Kaladan Multimodal Project, IMT highway, Project Mausam, Asia Africa Growth Corridor, INSTC, Blue Dot Network and others
- Strategic relationship: with Mongolia, Japan, Australia and others
Conclusion:
- Hence it is crystal clear India cannot be taken for granted by China as India is largely seen as a potential neutraliser for China’s dominant posturing.
- The emergence of a new strategic space called Indo-Pacific (with India being a dominant player) dimming the erstwhile Asia-Pacific strategic space is a glaring testimony to the fact.
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