China’s Maritime Expansion in IOR

Abstract

China has recently made maritime as its national priority in the wake of its rapidly expanding geopolitical, geostrategic and geo-economic interests and imperatives. A huge transformation has been witnessed in Chinese naval capabilities build-up, its strategic outlook towards maritime affairs, its over-dependence on maritime trade and its overall focus on leading the country towards next level of sea power as preached by Mahan. Despite the fact that the region is not Chinese direct or natural area of influence, the long list of maritime projects China is pursuing in Indian Ocean Region attest the claims that China is aspiring to dominate this third largest body of water for a secure and interrupted flow of its national trade. Keeping in view its current imperatives, China has successfully shifted its identity from a continental power towards a great maritime power inevitable for an aspiring superpower. China has stretched itself from its early ―off-shores waters defense‖ to ―open seas protection.‖ Offensive Realism prevails and China has been transforming its strategy and modernizing its naval muscle to meet all the challenges of a 21st century‘s sea power. China is also increasing and consolidating its military presence in the Indian Ocean which has alerted the regional stakeholders, especially India. Despite China and India have many areas of divergence but China doesn‘t see India as its real competitor in the Ocean. China‘s Anti-Access and Anti-Denial (A2/AD) or the ‗counter intervention‘ strategy is primarily against the US. Chinese ingress in the Indian Ocean has potential to change the security structure of the region. China asserts that it has neither military nor hegemonic designs but the western world led by the US doesn‘t stop seeing all these Chinese advances at seas as a threat to their world order and international security.