China’s move to partner with countries in the India Ocean Region (IOR) is said to be aimed at enhancing blue economy cooperation even as it comes with inherent risks of infringement on sovereignty, destabilising marine ecology and deep-sea exploration for military purposes. Recently, Beijing held the second conference of its Indian Ocean Region Forum with the objectives of deepening maritime development cooperation, building resilience to shocks and promoting sustainable development.
The countries in the IOR region have reasons to worry in the wake of China seeking deeper cooperation with them, which means sharing crucial data and access to strategic areas. China has been at loggerheads with the majority of its neighbours. Beijing’s claim on about 90 percent of the South China Sea has left small countries in the region in a fix. They are struggling to use maritime resources under their rightful territory or even carry out fishing activities amid the heavy presence of China’s naval forces.
The ASEAN countries have begun raising their voice against Chinese hegemony in the South China Sea. The Philippines said Beijing behaved like a schoolyard bully. “We’re fighting for our fisherfolk, we’re fighting for our resources. We’re fighting for our integrity as an archipelagic state. And if we don’t stop, China is going to creep and creep into what is within our sovereign jurisdiction, our sovereign rights and within our territory,” Filipino defence secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr said.
As Beijing tried to establish its control over the South China Sea, it built military bases on ecology-sensitive islands, atolls and archipelagos. The Spratlys group of islands in the South China Sea is one of the affected areas, where China has built a military base. “The Spratlys are the sites of a military build-up and gross overfishing, mainly by China. Reefs and islands have been destroyed to construct military outposts to further territorial claims,” said physical oceanographer Professor Eric Wolanski.
China’s distant water fishing is known for its lack of transparency, human rights abuse, and damage to ecology. London-based Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) found another major problem- Chinese vessels violating the sovereignty of small nations for illegal fishing. This has led to a negative impact on local food security and livelihoods. “These state-subsidised vessels are ravaging the ocean, committing human rights abuses and driving environmental injustice,” Steve Trent, CEO of the EJF. This does not bring good news to the IOR nations planning to collaborate with China.
India, China’s main rival in Asia was conspicuous by its absence at the recently held IOR conference. India was not invited. India is the major roadblock to Chinese economic ambitions thanks to New Delhi’s control over the major trade route in the IOR. This has demanded China build military bases in Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Cambodia, among others. Protection of its oil supply lines to the Middle East and overseas investment makes its strong presence in the IOR necessary for China.
Chinese navy ‘PLAN’ has poor capabilities in the IOR and is reliant on host-nation infrastructure and commercial satellites for communication and situational awareness, said Joshua T. White, a non-resident fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution. This has made Beijing leverage its investments, enterprises and shipping companies to supplement PLAN logistics. “It is plausible that China could
take advantage of coercive economic leverage over countries in the IOR to establish access arrangements,” he said.
China’s objective of economic and military expansion can prove detrimental to the nations in the IOR. With the unchecked access to naval vessels in the IOR, China can resort to intimidating small nations as it did with ASEAN countries, Bangladesh, and the Maldives, said Sameer Lalwani,
a senior fellow for Asia strategy at Washington-based Stimson Center. “Vulnerability to such coercion could compel smaller countries to side with China… In a military conflict, a Chinese Indian Ocean fleet would be even more threatening,” he said.
Moreover, China is said to be clandestinely gathering critical information on seabed resources in the Indian Ocean as it strengthens its Undersea Surveillance System. China has already deployed underwater drones and spy ships to the Indian Ocean region. Moreover, China’s lead in seabed mining can deprive the world of key minerals that are required for the transition to a green economy. Against this backdrop, embracing China under the cooperation programme can turn into a big problem for the countries in the IOR. There are voices opposing unchecked and unregulated access to IOR maritime resources to China.