Following the SCO summit in Tianjin, tensions in the South China Sea escalated as the Philippines and Vietnam took assertive stances against China.
Shortly after the historic SCO in Tianjin, where the world order was challenged by the grandeur of Xi Jinping’s event, tensions continued in the South China Sea, a region of tensions, face-offs and disputes between Beijing and its neighbours. While the Philippines refused to back down and Vietnam upped the ante with artificial land reclamation, another announcement could be worrying for the Dragon – that of the presence of the Indian Navy in the Strait of Malacca.
A vital maritime corridor that connects the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea, the Strait of Malacca is considered a major weak point of Beijing. The narrow passage will now be patrolled by the Indian Navy along with Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.
Singapore is a key partner in India’s Act East Policy and vision for the Indo-Pacific.
Roughly 60% of India’s seaborne trade and almost all of New Delhi’s LNG imports pass through the Malacca Strait. The route is also a choke point for Chinese shipping. The strategically sensitive route is just 600 km from the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, where the Indian Navy is expanding its footprint.
As PM Modi returned from China after taking centre stage with Xi Jinping and Putin at the SCO summit, he met Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in New Delhi. Hours later, this joint press release made a buzz across India.
While talking about defence and security cooperation, the joint statement mentioned about Singapore acknowledging with appreciation India’s interest in the Malacca Straits Patrol. This was mentioned in the context of strategic cooperation to promote regional peace and stability between the two countries. It is noteworthy that Singapore maintains neutrality and does not have a direct maritime dispute with China, but it understands the complexity in the region and Beijing’s assertiveness.
The joint statement comes days after the former minister of Philippines, the country which remains locked in stand-off with Beijing in the South China Sea, hailed the Indian Navy’s capabilities. “The Indian Navy is the only one with the “b*lls to go where it pleases”, said former Philippines foreign minister Teddy Locsin Jr said.
China, known for its maritime’s dominance in Southeast Asia, faces a significant challenge in the Indian Ocean, which the experts call Malacca Dilemma.
The potential of a naval blockade here by the US or Indian navies presents Beijing with a serious wartime economic security threat, according to the US-based Institute of Supply (3:21) Management.
According to some estimates, over two-third of China’s maritime energy imports worth $3.5 trillion each year pass through this strategic chokepoint.
India enjoys a strategic advantage over China in the region as Great Nicobar, the largest of the country’s Nicobar Islands, is jjust 600 kms from the Malacca Strait. Notably, this is not the first time Indian warships will roar in the region.
