Date: 06/12/2022

Relevance: GS-2: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and Agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests; Effect of Policies and Politics of Developed and Developing Countries on India’s interests.

Key Phrases: China International Development Cooperation Agency, China-Indian Ocean Region Forum, Indian Ocean Rim Association, Indian Ocean region, Military presence, UN General Assembly and the African Union.

Context:

• Recently, China’s top development aid agency 'China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA)' convened the first “China-Indian Ocean Region Forum” with 19 countries from the region except for India in the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming.

Key Highlights:

• The meeting was held in a hybrid manner under the theme of “Shared Development: Theory and Practice from the Perspective of the Blue Economy”.

What is the China - Indian Ocean Region Forum?

• It is a high-level development cooperation forum jointly held by China and countries in the Indian Ocean Region.
• Over 100 participants including senior officials from 19 countries bordering the Indian Ocean.
• The forum issued a “Joint Press Statement” that noted China “proposed to establish a marine disaster prevention and mitigation cooperation mechanism between China and countries in the Indian Ocean region”.
• All parties agreed to strengthen policy coordination, deepen development cooperation, increase resilience to shocks and disasters, and enhance relevant countries’ capacity to obtain economic benefits through use of marine resources such as fisheries, renewable energy, tourism, and shipping in a sustainable way.

Which countries have backed the forum?

• The organisers have said the forum was attended by “high-level representatives” and “senior officials” from 19 countries: Indonesia, Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Afghanistan, Iran, Oman, South Africa, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Seychelles, Madagascar, Mauritius, Djibouti, and Australia.
• But at least two of those countries, Australia and Maldives, subsequently released statements rebutting the claim, emphasising that they did not participate officially.

Where does India stand?

• Spokesperson for CIDCA, said India as “a major country in the Indian Ocean region, was invited to this forum” and added that China “looks forward to meeting India at the next forum”.
• New Delhi has viewed China’s recent moves in the region warily, including the recent visit of a Chinese military tracking vessel, the Yuan Wang 5, to Sri Lanka.
• Moreover, India sees the IORA as an already established platform for the region.

What are China’s plans for the IOR?

• The forum has underlined China’s stepped-up interest in the IOR, where it is already a major trading partner for most countries and where lie sea routes vital to China’s economic interests.
• The CIDCA forum is the latest initiative to reflect Beijing’s view that it has a clear stake in the region, and that more such initiatives are likely.
• The stepped-up regional diplomacy comes while China is establishing a more frequent military presence in the waters of the IOR.
  • Beijing’s first ever overseas military facility was set up in Djibouti near the Horn of Africa.
  • Chinese military ships, tracking vessels, and submarines have been visiting ports in the region with greater frequency.
  • China has a long-term plan to deploy six aircraft carriers to secure China’s maritime interests, and that two of them will be based in the Indian Ocean Region.

Way Forward:

• The Chinese forum apparently is aimed at countering India’s strong influence in the Indian Ocean region where India-backed organisations like the Indian Ocean Rim Association, have taken strong roots.
• Besides the IORA, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proposed “Security and Growth for All in the Region” (SAGAR) in 2015 for active cooperation among the littoral countries of the Indian Ocean region.
• The Indian Navy-backed ‘Indian Ocean Naval Symposium’ (IONS) seeks to increase maritime cooperation among navies of the region.

Conclusion:

• In a way, it reflects China’s unending greed. It also reflects China’s desire and ambition to measure up to the US in reach and outreach, and through them, geoeconomic, geopolitical, and geostrategic comparability.

Source: The Hindu

Mains Question:

Increasing footprint of China in the Indian Ocean Region presents challenges to the diplomacy of India. Critically analyze the statement.(250 Words).