Many in India believe that Beijing is building special relationships with India’s old foe Pakistan and Sri Lanka and is extending its reach down the Indian Ocean.
China’s ‘String of Pearls’ strategy seems to be surrounding India and has given food for thought to many in New Delhi for quite some time now.
At the G8 summit in L’Aquila recently, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made a bid in front of the international community to include India in the United Nations Security Council, which would put it on par with China, which is one of the five permanent members.
Christopher J. Pehrson, author of the book “String of Pearls: Meeting the challenge of china’s rising power across the Asian littoral”, says the ‘String of Pearls’ describes the manifestation of China’s rising geopolitical influence through efforts to increase access to ports and airfields, develop special diplomatic relationships and modernize military forces that extend from the South China Sea through the Strait of Malacca, across the Indian Ocean, and on to the Arabian Gulf.
Though India is trying to make a stronghold in South Asia, China seems to have been working consistently over the last four decades to strengthen its south Asian presence and fulfil its ‘String of Pearls’ policy, and that has many in India worried.
Alka Acharya, head of East Asian studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, says that China’s ‘string of pearls’ policy started in the 1980s and its basic aim was to give China increased energy security with refueling stations throughout the world.
But it has helped China project its political and military influence further. Some in India think China’s latest addition to its string of pearls is the Hambantota port in southern Sri Lanka.
Construction on the first phase began last year with Chinese funding, and the whole $1 billion project is expected to finish by 2023.
B. Raman, a retired senior government official, has written a paper on the project of Hambantota port in which he mentions that “the Chinese interest is more strategic than purely commercial. It is very unlikely that Sri Lanka would allow the Chinese Navy to use Hambantota against India. But a Chinese naval presence in Hambantota would add to the concerns of the Indian Navy by increasing the vulnerability of the South to pressures from the Chinese Navy.”
Raman also mentions in his paper that China had helped Pakistan with a similar project in Gwadar on the Mekran coast in Balochistan.
The first phase of construction has already been completed and the port was given a nod when Pervez Musharraf was the president.
When it is done, Hambantota is likely to have an aviation fuel storage facility and a liquefied natural gas refinery. The first phase will have bunkering facilities to refuel ships that pass the nearby shipping lanes, among the world’s busiest.
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa says India has nothing to worry about because the project is strictly a commercial venture.
India though is taking no chances and is increasing its troops along the northeastern border so as to prevent any further infiltration of Chinese soldiers, who had illegally entered Indian territory last year.
A retired intelligence officer who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity said China had begun building a road in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early 1970s.
“We had got hold of a source who told us that China was building a road from China- Gilgit- Neelam Valley, they had also planned a number of tunnels and bridges in places where roads couldn’t be constructed,” the officer said.
The status of the road is not known, some say it is still under construction.
The Karakoram Highway, which connects China’s Xinjiang region with Pakistan’s north, can also be seen as one of China’s pearls. The highway, called the ninth wonder of the world by some because of its altitude, was completed in 1986 after 20 years of construction.
The road opened up China-Pakistan trade and gave both of India’s rivals a fast route through the mountains, not far from the Line of Control in Kashmir.
Should India be worried about China’s String of Pearls, and will the Chinese strategy dampen India’s plans to be the dominant power in South Asia?
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India’s progress in Industry and Software and general economic progress worries China which indulges in acts of cheap desperation. I agree with Indian Patriot that in the next decade India will hold its own in this World.
There will not be an unprovoked 1962 like aggression as India will not take it lying down this time.
I think as a nation we must boycott cheap Chinese products anyway and ensure that they do not gain from us.
China is to a large extent is influenced by Buddhism which took roots in India and spread from here. Hence their people are likely to be peaceful in nature - except the Communist driven Army which acts under orders not neccessarily out of reverence for the nation but due to compulsions on the other hand the Indian Army is committed with Passion, Patriotism and Honor which boost the quality of our forces over the Chinese numbers.
We have seen Indians outperform the Chinese in American Universities. China is jealous of India’s progress and fears being overtaken economically.
I would urge the world to unite against the Chinese and boycott their cheap goods and products to ensure they are stifled economically.
Sateesh S Magal
- Posted by SATEESH MAGALSo all these talk about India shining was a farce.Only rich are shinig in India.Why all our neighbouring countries including Hindu Nepal have strategic ties with China is definitely a need for soul searching for us.Now our defence minister is going to Muslim Maldives for strategic ties to counter china. Will BJP if comes to power reverse this decision or will they swallow their pride and continue this relationship with this muslim country ?
- Posted by vijayChina is out to get India. And the our neighbours will join the fun. For them, its an opportunity to hedge against India and for China its a great opportunity to protect its energy routes, get access to the Indian Ocean and keep India under check.
- Posted by GoonerDP@Why do people think economics will prevent war? Historically, war is most likely to erupt between major trading partners. China is imperialist. The Han dominate many foreign cultures right now and force them to remain a part of China. They will spread their influence around India and then make India a puppet state.
-Posted by Remembers
-would you like to give several examples to support your statement?
Rest is mostly laughable.
- Posted by rajeev@India should act like a decent neighbour and not as an imperialist thug to win the hearts & minds of Sri Lankans.
- Posted by Asoka Kuruppu
-Buddy, I see you are trying to act like a little bully here.
I also think India should act like an imperiliast power and justify your allegations. Stay within your limits and know them. It is due to India that SL is free of LTTE trouble and India govt is facing problems at home for that. Blame them for good reasons and have a sense of gratitude for good reason. Just know your strengths and limitations and depending upon foregn powers does not make you any strong. Just remember that Golden crutches look beautuful but at the same time tell how handicapped you are. In a real war type sitution, you do not even have those crutches yet. Just behave.
- Posted by rajeevChina clearly has aspirations to have a strong naval presence to protect its energy supply routes. This implies it anticipates a conflict in that area. We need a strong and independent India that can protect its sea routes and deter China from future aggression or coercion.
- Posted by bartUp untill today the Indian Government hasn’t found its position in the geopolitical world. It blindly follows what the west tells it. Like its Govt., media channels accept whatever the West media feed them. Indian Govt is not an independent Govt in essence. Indian people still largely live in a colony mentality. Look at how they admire the rich and discriminate the poor. There is no basic amenities for the majority rural population in this country.
- Posted by Straight-talkerChina is not competing with India, she is competing with rest of the world. Chinese are well aware of the big players in this world and their hold on energy. For countries like India and China, unfortunately we will have to look for energy sources outside of our countries, for that to achieve we have to be financially, strategically well positioned. It is just a game of survival, they will protect their interest no matter what, and if anyone thinks war is not possible option then they are mistaken. If not a direct war, it will be proxy war.
- Posted by SatishCall it a String of Pearls or Global Presence or World police, these exist with different names throughout the history of humans. China is determined to get what she wants to survive. Unlike western world where people understand the importance of energy and the demand for water and food, Chinese and Indian citizens still need to understand that mother earth cannot produce unlimited resources. To survive and live a comfortable life we have to work hard and have great discipline to achieve it, and Chinese are achieving that by communism and twisting the arms of their citizens. Unfortunately Indians cannot do that in democratic society, we have to understand that for greater good of India and her people, we will have to come out of this precarious situation soon, we will have become self sufficient in science, engineering and agriculture.
Why do people think economics will prevent war? Historically, war is most likely to erupt between major trading partners. China is imperialist. The Han dominate many foreign cultures right now and force them to remain a part of China. They will spread their influence around India and then make India a puppet state.
- Posted by RemembersIndia should not be paranoid about the Chinese helping Sri Lanka with a new port at Hambantota. It is a normal commercial transaction and anyway it is not India’s business. India’s jitters - if she does feel any - are probably due to her own record of meddling in the affairs of her neighbours - as for instance in helping the formation of Bangladesh and training, financing and arming Tamil terrorists in India. Does she suspect China of being as untrustworthy as she has been? If India is true to the virtues she so loudly preaches and desists from playing Big Brother to her smaller neighbours she will be able to rely on their loyalty. It is up to her to choose the role she wants to play.
- Posted by cassandraSri Lankans including many Tamils do not forgive India for training and supporting the Tamil Tigers which caused so much destruction. When Rajiv Ghandi was blown up by a Tiger they said ” he got what he deserved”.
India should act like a decent neighbour and not as an imperialist thug to win the hearts & minds of Sri Lankans.
And that is in India’s strategic interest. Indian help to defeat the Tigers is well appreciated.
Indian Government must ensure that RAW is kept in check and sack any Edgar Hoovers (FBI).
CIA, MI5, KGB,ISI, RAW , FBI etc tend to ignore their temporary political masters and persue their own agendas.
So India should push for the 13th Amendment imposed by Rajiv and back off.
India can bomb Sri Lanka but never control it. The Sinhalese were good guerilla fighters in the past and can bleed India to its economic death a la Vietnam.
Indian Army was defeated by even the Tigers causing over 1000 Indian casualties. Many Tamils hate the Indian soldiers who had robbed them of jewellery etc.
Iran,China,Pakistan,Bangla Desh,Nepal & Burma all will support Sri Lanka agaist India.
- Posted by Asoka KuruppuSo let’s share our common heritage and live with mutual respect.
Man, Human race is paranoid by birth.
This is a competition in the business sense and not a war. And in this competition, India is competing with China while China is competing with US. For all those who want to compare India and China, there is only one similarity growth rates. But still China is a much much bigger giant than India is. So if our neighbors are scared of India because of its size then I don’t understand why are they comfortable with China.
Also, communism in India as well as Nepal is democratic in nature. More in the lines of a welfare state. Communism in India and Nepal is not like a totalitarian government, which will crush any dissent with excessive opression the way it happens in China.
China will not attack India for simple reason of economics.
1. The trade volume is huge and they can’t let go of a huge and very lucrative market.
2. Though they have military superiority, India is no pushover and this is not 1960’s. So they themselves will suffer a lot.
Though there have been aggressive posturing by both the sides but they have not captured and retained each other’s territories. China voluntarily marched back and gave the entire captured north east regions after the war in 1962. Aksai Chin in their control was given to them by Pakistan, so they didn’t take it forcibly from India.
Moreover, the main distrust between India and China is regarding Tibet moreso since the Tibet government in Exile operates from India and China doesn’t see this a friendly gesture. In return of this favour, China has provided support to Pakistan and Burma, who in turn are known to provide support to seperatists. I don’t know the involvement of China in supporting these networks.
As for Sri Lanka, India has good enough ties with the country and Chinese influence is limited to business deals.
India has lagged behind diplomatically in getting into business agreements with its neighbours, whether be it bilateral or multilateral. China has influence over the world because of its huge forex reserves and manufacturing prowess (because of lower costs). India will also compete in this in the longer run but as of now it will have to contend with the tag of soft power.
- Posted by AmanThis is a very well written article!
- Posted by SsaanyaA very nice article. China is slowly increasing its presence in the Indian subcontinent which is unfortunately marred by political and religious unrest. While India\’s so-called secular government is happy receiving applause from western countries for criticizing political and religious unrest in neighboring countries, China is using these events at its best by providing financial, militarily and political assistance. I just hope that one day we don\’t end up landlocked by the hostile string of Chinese pearls.
- Posted by beeduThe Indian Betrayal! ………….is it too late!
As the Communist ideology has been flourishing in Kerala for many years, the Chinese interest in that State is undoubtedly obvious.
Under the Chinese Intelligence, the Keralites were subtly advised to take up Hindi and English more seriously in its Education system.
These had been the base level strategy to infiltrate as many government services in order to have a firm intelligence gathering and tacit decision making in favor of Communist China since Krishna Menon (time of Nehru) until Shiv Shanker Menon.
The Chinese connection has been tilting the favors towards China against India in the geopolitical sense. One can say this by assessing the damage in dealing with Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Katcha Theevu and Arunachal Pradesh.
History will speak for itself the involvement of Keralites on all the said issues in shaping the Indian foreign policies which had inclination towards Chinese long term needs. They have set India at receiving end from all their neighbors. India was set to realize a bit too late of the domino effect!
Obviously India is facing the final phase of this domino effect!
The Four classic examples are:-
1] India’s’ currency being printed in Nepal, China and Pakistan
2] The growing feeling of alienation that the people of Arunachal Pradesh feel towards
India so much so that they asked in Delhi if they are from China.
3] The tacit support of both the Keralites, Shiv Shanker Menon and MK Narayanan for
Chinese to make strong Inroads into Sri Lanka in the pretext of “War against
Terrorism”.
4] A Chinese consortium had won the initial contract to develop Vizhinjam Kerala in
2006. The bid was eventually denied security clearance by the Indian authorities.
Even to win the initial contract by Chinese speaks volume of underground
China-Kerala Connection.
India’s fundamental flaw for not placing an effective monitoring machinery to avoid one particular race/state/caste domination in the national essential services and Intelligence bodies had worked against India’s security from within.
Apparently the Chinese had noticed and exploited this gap from the time Krishna Menon.
The current appointment of Ms Nirupama Rao from Kerala in replacement of Shiv Shanker Menon is another continuity of the Indian Stupidityl. It only reflects weakness in Indian internal machinery in safeguarding India’s regional security policies.
Will India ever wake up to notice the enemy within………………..or is it too late!
- Posted by CLIPSWhile officially nonaligned, India `leaned` towards the Soviet Union during cold war years. Like most small nations next to a giant and powerful neighbor, Sri Lanka distrusted and feared India. It needed some powerful friends, even if from far off, and thus leaned towards the United States of America. It also tilted towards India`s archenemy in the north, Pakistan. During the 1971 India-Pakistan war over the then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), Sri Lanka allowed Pakistan to refuel its Air Force planes on way from West Pakistan to East Pakistan at Trincomalee a clearly anti-Indian stance. India could not do anything about it.
Sri Lanka views the much larger and powerful neighbor India with suspicion and fear ever since independence, and its attitude was hostile or at best `unfriendly.` There was a change in Sri Lanka`s attitude towards India around the mid-1980s. This was the time that Tamil freedom fighters gained enough strength capable of challenging the Sri Lankan Army. Suddenly Sri Lanka changed its stance towards India from `unfriendly` to `friendly` because it wanted India to stop helping the Tamil freedom fighters and start helping the Sri Lankan military. Now the rebellion is defeated, We can see Sri lanka shift towards China and remain a huge threat to India. Historical evidence shows that clearly.
- Posted by ArulThough by birth I am Indian I admit Chinese may survive not the Indians. why? Chinese leaders will little care about their people & their country however Indian leaders are very much worried about their party & their own pocket. I bet with that much corruption and greed for money they can very well sell the whole country in part or whole to anyone who is ready to buy or pay the politician, no fight and all. It may be bitter to many fellow Indians but that is the bitter reality!
- Posted by Karikaalan TIndia is the biggest looser by supporting Sri Lanka in the Eelam Sri Lanka conflict. Last Indo Pakistan war Sri Lanka openly supported Pakistan, where as Tamils supported India and Indra Gandhi rewarded them by providing military training. Today Sonia Gandhi has made India very weak country. India should realise that China cannot be trusted as China attached Northern India and captured vast land after it signed a peace accord with Nehru. India should wake smell the cup of coffee before it is too late. India may bank on USA but she will do nothing as she is heavily indebted to China. She too will loose her secret base, Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Tamils will rise from ashes but India and USA are doomed.
- Posted by Ram Chetty