Securing the Indian Ocean Region

• 30 Jun 2025

For Prelims: Parliamentary Standing Committee, Indian Ocean Region (IOR), String of Pearls, Horn of Africa, SAARC, BIMSTEC, Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Deep Ocean Mission, MAHASAGAR (Maritime Heads for Active Security And Growth for All in the Region), Colombo Security Conclave, NAVIC.                          

For Mains: Significance of the Indian Ocean Region for India, Challenges that India Encounter in the Indian Ocean due to Chinese presence in IOR, Steps needed by India to counter Chinese presence in IOR. 

Source: TH 

Why in News? 

The report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs highlights that the growing presence of extra-regional players in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), particularly China’s increasing foothold, poses a significant strategic challenge for India.

How is China Expanding Strategic Presence in the Indian Ocean Region? 

• Dual-Use Infrastructure: China is investing in dual-use (civilian and military) infrastructure like ports, airports, and logistics hubs across IOR littoral states, forming a naval support network—examples include Hambantota (Sri Lanka, leased for 99 years), Gwadar (Pakistan, part of CPEC), and Chittagong (Bangladesh) & Kyaukpyu (Myanmar), near India’s maritime boundaries. 
  • China’s String of Pearls strategy envisions a naval logistics network that facilitates swift troop deployment in times of conflict. 
• Military Expansion & Naval Deployment: China has significantly increased its naval presence in the IOR through the Djibouti Military Base (2017) enabling sustained naval operations along with increased warship deployments including submarines. 
  • It also sends “scientific” research vessels (e.g., Xiang Yang Hong 3) for oceanographic surveys, aiding submarine operations and maritime domain awareness. 
• Debt-Trap Diplomacy: China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects often involve unsustainable loans, creating debt traps—as seen in Sri Lanka’s Hambantota Port crisis and the Maldives’ infrastructure loans, increasing dependence on Beijing. 
  • By leveraging economic vulnerabilities, China pressures IOR nations to align with its strategic interests, often at the cost of regional stability. 
• Diplomatic & Security Partnerships: China conducts joint naval exercises with Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Iran, and Russia, strengthening its maritime military ties. Politically, it backs pro-China leaders, such as the Maldives’ President Muizzu, to expand its influence in the region. 
  • Additionally, the launch of the “China-Indian Ocean Region Forum” highlights Beijing’s growing strategic and economic interests in the region. 

China’s “String of Pearls” Strategy 

• The String of Pearls is a geopolitical theory that refers to China's increasing efforts to develop and expand its ports and naval bases throughout the Indian Ocean Region, from the Strait of Malacca to the Horn of Africa. 
• The theory suggests that China is seeking to establish a series of strategic naval bases and commercial ports along key sea-lanes in the Indian Ocean, to protect its vital energy imports and enhance its maritime influence. 
• These "pearls" include ports such as Gwadar in Pakistan, Hambantota in Sri Lanka, and Djibouti in Africa, which provide China with greater access and influence in the region.

How China's Presence in the Indian Ocean Region Threatens India's Interest in Region? 

• Military and Security Threats: China’s strategic ports—Gwadar, Hambantota, Djibouti, and Coco Islands—enable the Chinese Navy to deploy warships, monitor Indian naval activity, and potentially blockade key sea lanes like the Malacca Strait and Strait of Hormuz. 
• Economic and Strategic Threats: With 80% of India’s oil imports passing through the IOR, China could disrupt trade routes during conflict, threatening India’s energy security. 
  • Through Chinese debt-trap diplomacy, India risks losing traditional allies, diplomatic leverage in SAARC and BIMSTEC, and faces increased Chinese naval access near its shores via client states. 
• Intelligence & Surveillance Threats: Chinese spy ships like Xiang Yang Hong 03 and electronic surveillance bases in Gwadar enhance China’s monitoring of Indian naval activity, while suspected undersea sensor networks aid submarine detection. 
  • This poses a threat to India’s naval secrecy and undermines its nuclear deterrent, especially the operations of Arihant-class SSBNs ("Ship, Submersible, Ballistic, Nuclear). 
• Diplomatic & Geopolitical Threats: China’s expanding influence in Nepal, Maldives, and Bangladesh, combined with military partnerships like China-Pakistan naval drills and China-Iran-Russia cooperation, threatens to isolate India in its own neighborhood, weaken its strategic autonomy, and heighten reliance on the US and Quad for regional balance. 
• Threat to Indo-Pacific Stability: China’s military expansion in the IOR is part of a broader strategy to dominate the Indo-Pacific. 
  • This upsets the strategic balance and may provoke military confrontations involving extra-regional players like the US, Japan, and Australia—putting India in a volatile environment  

What is the Significance of the Indian Ocean Region for India? 

• Strategic Maritime Security: India sees itself as a net security provider, reflected in the launch of INS Vikrant (2022) and 17 multilateral & 20 bilateral naval exercises annually. 
  • The Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR, 2018) enhances maritime domain awareness and coordination. 
• Economic Lifeline: 80% of India’s external trade and 90% of energy trade pass through the Indian Ocean. These routes handle 70% of global container traffic. 
  • Ports like Vizhinjam (Kerala) aim to boost transshipment share. The Blue Economy is expected to contribute 4% to GDP. 
• Geopolitical Influence: The ocean is central to countering China’s “String of Pearls” strategy, prompting India to deepen ties with Seychelles, Mauritius, and the Maldives.  
  • Through initiatives like “Act East”, “Neighbourhood First”, and active participation in Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), India is enhancing maritime connectivity and regional influence.  
• Environmental and Disaster Management: India’s 11,098 km coastline faces threats from sea-level rise and extreme weather, with the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) providing vital monitoring and early warning.  
  • India’s leadership in the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and humanitarian aid, such as to Mozambique after Cyclone Idai (2019), strengthens its soft power. 
• Scientific Research and Exploration: The Indian Ocean supports India’s technological advancement through initiatives like the Deep Ocean Mission, featuring Matsya 6000, a manned submersible for deep-sea exploration.  
  • India's polymetallic nodule exploration in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (75,000 sq km) positions it as a pioneer in deep-sea mining. 

How India Can Strengthen its Presence in the IOR and Counter China’s Expansion? 

• Military & Security Measures: India should enhance naval capabilities by expanding its submarine fleet, advancing the aircraft carrier program (at least 3), strengthening anti-submarine warfare (ASW) systems and deploying undersea surveillance networks. 
  • The Andaman & Nicobar Command (ANC) must be upgraded with naval/air bases, missile systems, electronic warfare assets, and regular exercises with QUAD and ASEAN. 
• Economic & Infrastructure Countermeasures: India should promote its MAHASAGAR (Maritime Heads for Active Security And Growth for All in the Region) policy by positioning the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) as a BRI alternative, and investing in regional ports like Chabahar (Iran), Sabang (Indonesia), and Duqm (Oman). 
  • Offering grants and soft loans, India can reduce IOR nations’ dependence on China, while supporting infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Bangladesh. 
• Diplomatic & Strategic Alliances: India should strengthen QUAD by expanding its maritime security role and deepen defense ties with the US, Japan, Australia, and France for technology sharing. 
  • It must revitalize regional groupings like the IORA for collective security and leverage Colombo Security Conclave for counterterrorism and maritime cooperation. 
• Technological Enhancements: India should expand NAVIC coverage and deploy additional reconnaissance satellites to enhance maritime domain awareness and monitor Chinese naval movements. 
  • It must also develop AI-driven maritime tracking systems and strengthen cybersecurity to counter Chinese cyber-espionage targeting ports and naval bases. 
• Soft Power & Cultural Diplomacy: India should strengthen historical and cultural ties in the IOR by reviving ancient maritime routes, promoting Buddhism, expanding education and skill development, and lead in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) efforts through rapid-response naval teams for tsunamis, cyclones, and other disasters to enhance regional goodwill. 

Conclusion 

China’s expanding IOR presence threatens India’s security, economy, and regional influence. To counter this, India must bolster naval capabilities, offer economic alternatives to BRI, strengthen alliances like QUAD, enhance surveillance, and leverage soft power. A proactive, multi-dimensional strategy is essential to safeguard India’s maritime interests and maintain regional stability. 

Drishti Mains Question:

How does China’s growing influence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) pose a strategic challenge for India? What steps India can take to counter China’s growing influence in IOR?

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Question (PYQ)  

Prelims

Q. With reference to ‘Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC)’, consider the following statements: (2015)

1. It was established very recently in response to incidents of piracy and accidents of oil spills. 
2. It is an alliance meant for maritime security only. 

 Which of the statements given above is/ are correct? 

 (a) 1 only 

 (b) 2 only 

 (c) Both 1 and 2 

 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 

 Ans: (d)  

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Mains 

Q. Discuss the geopolitical and geostrategic importance of Maldives for India with a focus on global trade and energy flows. Further also discuss how this relationship affects India’s maritime security and regional stability amidst international competition? (2024) 

Q. What is the significance of Indo-US defense deals over Indo-Russian defense deals? Discuss with reference to stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (2020)