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Sri Lanka Navy Journal 61

maritime infrastructure in number of Indian Ocean Region (IOR) countries are
increasing the geo strategic competition within the region. There is no doubt
that the Indo-Pacific Ocean will remain at the forefront of world geopolitics in
the coming decades and most probably through the entire twenty-first century.
Rise of China

Immediately after the end of the Cold War, the demise of the Soviet Union
altered the international system profoundly. Western scholars grew concerned
about China as a new potential challenger to the US primacy. This was particularly
due to the growing Chinese economic and military profile. Middle powers are
interesting alliance partners for great powers due to their rather limited global
and regional ambitions yet adequate material capabilities and regional standing.
Once this commitment of middle powers has shifted from one great power to
another, this can be considered to constitute a shift in relational power.
One part of China’s equation for increasing prosperity is the sea trade,
especially for the import of energy. Indeed, China’s reliance on the import of
energy via the Indian Ocean is severing as 90% of its hydrocarbons are transported
through these waterways. However, unlike in the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean,
maritime traffic in the Indian Ocean is restricted to a small number of choke
points namely the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf and the Malacca Strait
between the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. China’s dependence on freedom
of passage through these chokepoints led to pay their serious attention to this
region.

China’s concern about the free passage through Malacca is further intensified
concerning the event of a conflict with India. India would use sea denial
strategies such as naval blockades to disrupt China’s energy supply lines by
capturing the Chinese oil and trade lanes in the Indian Ocean. The ‘First Island
Chain’, formed by the US and its partners and allies, is allegedly overpowering
China’s nautical activities and obstructing the nation’s entry into the oceanic
routes. According to Chinese analysts, the US and its allies are using this ‘chain’
to encircle and contain China. It is therefore natural only for China to seek ‘relief’
in the Indian Ocean. The geostrategic location of the islands would permit India
to ‘seal off Malacca’ and play the role of ‘guardian’ of the Malacca Strait to resist
‘Chinese infiltration of the Indian Ocean’. In 2001, India created the Andaman
and Nicobar Command based in Port Blair with the objective of safeguarding
India’s interests in Southeast Asia and the Malacca Strait by boosting its ability
to deploy military assets rapidly in the region. This step raised further concerns
in China about India’s intentions.To bypass its ‘Malacca problem’, China has been
active in financing the construction of ports and infrastructure in various Indian
Ocean littoral states. These projects include Gwadar in Pakistan, Hambantota
in Sri Lanka, Sittwe in Burma and Chittagong in Bangladesh, which serve as
transport corridors for Chinese oil and trade.

The Chinese government has even been exploring the possibility of
financing the construction of a Panama Canal style passage through the Thai Kra