29 June 2022, NIICE Commentary 8106
Sidhi Makhija

While the world’s attention is centered on the Ukraine-Russian war, meanwhile China is occupied with making its moves in one of the most contentiously claimed areas of the world which is the South China Sea. It has tremendous geo-strategic importance and is responsible for almost a major fraction of maritime trade across the globe.

It is through this South China seabed the supply chain of primary resources such as oil and natural gas reserves are smoothly facilitated. These resources are highly essential for a country’s survival and security purpose and are indeed a symbol of economic power. The South China Sea is a hotly contested region between two major parties, wherein one side comprises all the regional players encompassing the seabed namely, Brunei, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, and China on the other side tries to claim the whole of the South China Sea. It, therefore, intends to dominate the Indo-Pacific waters and aspires to become a big brother of the region.

China’s Game-plan to Dominate Indo-Pacific Waters

China, with the aim to expand its influence and surround India overseas, is trying to build military bases all over the region which could turn into an alarming commination for India. It already has one such base ‘Djibouti’ in the horn of Africa and now is meticulously engaged in building another recently known secret military base in Cambodia. This was done with the signing of the China Cambodia Free Trade Agreement of 2020 as it enabled the permanent presence of China in the northern part of the sea, close to the Andamans. Therefore, by doing so Cambodia in the name of development of its ‘Ream naval base’ is providing a gateway and partial access to its Chinese counterpart by steadily militarizing the Pacific waters under its own leverage. These naval bases could be used by China to deploy weapons and also keep eye on its rivals anytime in the near future. China continues to target more and more regional powers in order to convert them into a naval base for fulfilling its national interests. This is how it is gaining control over the maritime business of the region and today has become a primary concern for India as well as the west. To counter China in the Indo-Pacific region and oversees the western democracies came together at the 48th G7 summit held on 28 June 2020 in Germany and launched the ‘Global Investment and Infrastructure Partnership’. China was on the priority list of the meet as it is continuously involved in expanding its global network and constructing naval bases and ports.

Retaliation and Formation of QUAD

To retaliate and control the increasing influence of China in the Indo-Pacific waters, India along with the USA, Australia, and Japan formed an alliance group: QUAD which aims to counter China and have a rule-based order in the maritime. Maintaining peace and security in the pacific is its priority. The recent QUAD Summit held in Tokyo on 24 May 2022, focused on increasing cooperation in the face of Chinese dominance along with other contemporary issues like terrorism and territorial disputes. It launched the ‘Indo-Pacific Economic Framework’ led by the USA which includes important measures like curbing illegal fishing that is intensively done by China in the Indo-Pacific. Under its maritime initiatives, it aims to develop a free, open, and inclusive Indo pacific.

India’s Stake in the South China Sea

The region of the South China Sea is currently in a state of ‘power imbalance’ as relations between the regional powers on the one hand and China on the other hand are uncertain. Regional blocks are not even close to matching China’s increasing military capability in the region. However, there can be seen a shift in the power politics of the South China Sea as India is emerging as a sole player to aid the regional blocks with all the arms and equipment to take down its all-time rival China.

India, one of the fastest-growing economies of the 21st century has been able to establish itself not only as an importer but also as a major global defense exporter. To achieve self-reliance through its make in India project it has become one of the leading producers of missiles today and developed its fastest supersonic cruise missile in the world- The Brahmos. The regional blocks like the Philippines and Vietnam are engaging themselves to buy India’s defense missile systems to counter China and maintain a status quo in the region.

Recently, a defense partnership deal was signed between Vietnam and India under which India handed over its twelve high-speed boats to Vietnam. It also allowed Vietnam to access and acquire India’s high-tech Supersonic cruise missile: Brahmos and another medium-range surface-to-air missile: Akash, which Vietnam plans to replace with its age-old Soviet era missiles.

Moreover, the Philippines bought India’s Brahmos missile: a three-battery versatile weapon to target China specifically in the Scarborough Shoal area where China’s fishing militia exists. Therefore, India’s development in the defense sector acts as a primary base for building close ties with the regional blocks. Furthermore, India’s weapons are being used to contain a more aggressive and assertive China which is continuously engaged in conducting military drills and claiming the whole region. Other contenders like Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Burnie contest China’s claim.

Western countries are also seeking to prepare grounds to conduct a major military naval exercise together with the regional powers including Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, and the Philippines called the ‘Rim of Pacific Exercise’– the world’s biggest naval drill which will be led by the United States to showcase its power to China and Russia specifically in the South China Sea region.

Conclusion

China today is becoming a threat in the South China Sea, the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. It is engaged in conducting water and air incursions in the Senkaku island of Japan and the Taiwan Strait respectively. This shows China’s explicit intentions to become a hegemon in the Indo-Pacific. The only country supporting China’s gameplay is Russia which has invaded Ukraine.

Sidhi Makhija is a Research Intern at NIICE.