Checkmating China

India looks Trans-Atlantic as China encircles it with ‘String of Pearls’

Both France and Canada have supported India’s membership to four multilateral export control regimes and have assured India for intensifying their cooperation in space technology

At a time when China is busy extending its ‘String of Pearls’ in the Indian Ocean with an intention to encircle India, New Delhi has worked out an alternate strategy to checkmate Chinese ambition by inviting Trans-Atlantic powers in the region.

On his recent visit to Pakistan, President Xi Jinping signed a $46 billion agreement for 3,000 km China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which will connect Gwadar in Pakistan to China's western Xinjiang region. This CPEC will be a network of roads, railway and pipelines between the long-time allies and would give Beijing direct access to the Indian Ocean. China’s “all weather” friend, Islamabad has thus become its centre of “pivotal importance”.

Comparatively, New Delhi’s long cherished dream project of using Iran’s Chabahar port for connecting with Afghanistan and beyond to Central Asia and Europe and thus isolating Pakistan has not progressed well given the difficulties of implementation owing to sanctions imposed on Tehran. India became involved in the project in 2002 and since then the progress has been tardy.

After the new government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office, India in October last year decided to invest $85.21 million in developing the port. It also decided to invest an annual revenue expenditure of $22.95 million to support the efforts. However, sensing the growing presence of Beijing’s “String of Pearls” in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, Modi has rightly favoured the involvement of Trans-Atlantic powers to stem Chinese ambition in the region.

The major takeaways from his recent Trans-Atlantic tour to France, Germany and Canada were to raise the India-Canada bilateral relations to the level of strategic partnership and seeking Canadian involvement in defence research technology. He appreciated Canada’s keenness for Observer status at SAARC. Modi also urged France for enhancing its cooperation in the maritime domain, particularly in the Indian Ocean region.

India very much acknowledges US “pivot” and its “rebalancing” game in the Asia-Pacific. The need for US presence not only in the Pacific but also in the Indian Ocean was emphasised in the joint statement during the last visit of President Obama. There were also talks for expanding the India-US-Japan trilateral. India also has bilateral military exercises with some countries in the Asia-Pacific.

In Canada an agreement was inked for long-term supply of uranium to energize nuclear power plants in India. Canada also agreed to share its pressurized heavy water reactor technology with India. Both France and Canada have supported India’s membership to four multilateral export control regimes and have assured India for intensifying their cooperation in space technology.

Modi’s visit to Canada was the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister after 42 years and he did his best to rope in Prime Minister Harper to address India’s security concerns and nuclear energy security. He thus laid the template for India’s cooperation with Trans-Atlantic countries for addressing security concerns in Asia-Pacific and balancing with the growing ambitious role of China in the region.

By Ashok B Sharma