Indian Strategy in Indian Ocean

China is a larger economic power and has much more substantial long-range naval capabilities than India. India feels pressured to work against Chinese encroachment on our territorial waters.  Although India has not been able to use the Indian Ocean for power projection beyond the basin, it has established significant influence there. Furthermore, as India’s own need for resources, especially energy resources, grows, it will need to ensure the security of its shipping lanes from Africa and the Middle East and from Southeast Asia.

• Along with India’s desire to protect its ownership of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and the Lakshadweep Islands near the Arabian Sea, this need makes friction between China and India in the Indian Ocean Basin inevitable. Since India is incapable of countering China’s advances in the Indian Ocean on its own, New Delhi cooperates with Washington, which has its own interest in containing China’s influence in the region
• From India’s point of view, the southern reaches of the Bay of Bengal are critical because of their proximity to the Strait of Malacca.
• The strait is important to India’s 20-year-old "Look East" policy, driven by energy and trade needs and a strong interest in countering China that has stagnated after several attempts at reinvigoration. The policy involves New Delhi’s developing close relations with Myanmar and the other countries in the region formerly known as Indochina
• In the two decades of Look East Policy, India has re-established close relations with most of the ASEAN Countries. In cooperation with Myanmar and Vitenam, India has not only developing new sources of natural gas / oil but has also begun offering China competition. The energy cooperation deals with Vietnam have allowed India to establish a presence in the South China Sea region — an area China considers its exclusive sphere of influence
• Apart from Myanmar and Vietnam, India has close economic ties with other key Southeast Asian states including Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. Southeast Asian countries share India’s desire to counter China’s growing influence. Beyond ASEAN, India is also working with South Korea and Japan, which also have a strong interest in counterbalancing China.

India and Japan are working with the United States to create a foothold in the South China Sea — a trilateral arrangement that could help India. However, India’s own ability to counter China on its southern flank is limited by New Delhi’s domestic, political and economic situation.