By telling China to back-off, India just asserted its heavyweight position in the Indian Ocean region. Giving a befitting reply to the Chinese doldrums, India is actively participating in the trilateral meeting with the Maldives and Sri Lanka which is being held at Colombo.
Much to the dismay of China, the meeting will be held at the National Security Advisor level, where India will be represented by NSA Ajit Doval, the primary issue being maritime security cooperation against the threats posed by Chinese bullying in the region.
India, which has always been committed to the rule-based order in the global waters, is asserting its position and providing support to the small countries in the Indian Ocean region. The countries like the Maldives and Sri Lanka recently have been at the receiving end of Chinese arrogance and want a way out to maintain their now threatened freedom.
During the last month’s Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had asserted the Indian commitment to a rule-based international order. He also highlighted that the countries which have legitimate and peaceful interests in the region should be brought to the dialogue table. The Chinese uncalled assertiveness and hooligan-like attitude is an issue that impacts all the parties in the region.
The Chinese behaviour in the region was well explained by US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo as “deeply disturbing”. This is true when we observe that the Chinese PLA Navy have increased their interfering forays into the Indian Ocean waters. This is a challenge for India as it is the primary security power of the region.
New Delhi desires to establish an effective cooperative network and it often goes out of its way to provide its technical and logistical expertise to the smaller but important neighbours of the region.
The Trilateral Maritime Security Cooperation launched in 2011, has been a significant meeting where the National security Advisors of all the three countries discuss the mutually shared issues and try to discuss the positive course of actions. It is reported that this time representatives from Seychelles and Bangladesh will also be actively participating in this. It is best in the interest of India that the trilateral arrangement is expanded and many more countries like from BIMSTEC and East African regions are brought into the dialogue.
The Indo-Pacific region which also includes the South-China Sea is a sore topic for assertive China with its water grabbing activities harming the security of the region. It is yet to be seen if the parties involved in the South-China Sea are also brought into the dialogue.
Apart from the Chinese threat, many drug smuggling and human trafficking operatives often roam the shared waters which makes it essential for India to maintain a rule-based order. This week only, the Indian coast guards captured a Pakistan-originated heroin consignment weighing around 100kg off the coast of Tuticorin. The final destination of the consignment was supposedly Australia.
With neighbours as difficult and notorious as Pakistan and China, it becomes important for India and other countries of the Indian Ocean region to maintain balanced and open waters. The region should be formed with like-minded powers coming forward in pursuit of retaining their sovereignty in order to thrive economically without the bullying of countries like China.