Why is China prompting India To rethink the Indo-Pacific Strategy? India-US relations have always been enhanced by the concerns they share in the Indo-Pacific region. Both share serious concerns over China’s military expansion in the region and also the Chinese infrastructure projects in the region which specifically pose a threat to India’s security. India has aligned itself with the US in terms of its Indo-Pacific policy which Chinese experts feel isn’t the most prudent of decisions made by India.
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The Hambantota port in Sri Lanka which China has leased from Colombo, the Gwadar port in Pakistan, artificial islands built by China in the South China Sea are among the greatest threats which challenge India’s interests and security in the Indo-Pacific. There’s a wide gap between the commitments made by the US in terms of protecting the Indo-Pacific and its military presence in the region.
As reported by Global Times, experts are of the opinion that India must rather seek support from the ASEAN nations and Japan which share similar concerns over the region. While the US does not have the geographical presence in the region, India’s interests are any day more likely to match with the nations present in the region. These nations include the ASEAN nations along with Japan and Australia. Having said that, India must rely more on Japan, Australia and the ASEAN nations rather than Washington.
India joined the US, Japan and Australia in efforts to revive the Quad and alter China’s growing influence, but that does not mean that India is on the same page with the US in terms of the Indo-Pacific policy or interests in the region.
India has been wary of China’s growing naval presence in the region in its backyard. India’s border disputes with China have now entered into the maritime domain and this raises concerns in New Delhi.
India needs to rethink over its Indo-Pacific policy and try to align with the real-time stakeholders than the US. India must not fall under the US spell to contain China and rethink about its approach especially when India and China are going through a rapprochement.
