China’s Quest for Bases in IOR

Key Highlights:

• Recently the Chinese vessel yuan Wang 5 was deployed at Hambantota port.
• This has created serious confusion among India and srilanka .
• Chinese presence in the south china sea and now Indian Ocean has created Geopolitical ramifications.

About

• China has the world’s largest Navy with 355 warships and has been actively hunting for logistical bases in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) after establishing its first overseas base at Djibouti on the Horn of Africa in August 2017.
• China has readily-available access to Karachi and Gwadar ports in Pakistan.
• China is making moves from Cambodia, Seychelles and Mauritius to east African countries, to sustain its naval forays in the region.
• The US is actively scouting for more military bases closer to China, to disperse its military assets in a wide area.
• China’s belligerent attitude towards its neighbors in the South China Sea and surrounding maritime areas has riled many nations; the latest being the Philippines.

India’s concern:

• Chinese presence in the Indian ocean is cause of concern for India.
• It is a threat to Indian sovereignty in the Indian ocean region.
• On the other hand, China rarely demonstrates naval power in the Indian ocean.
• China will steadily build the case for the use of Hambantota — which it obtained on a 99-year lease for commercial purposes in 2017.
• The Indian Navy has gifted a Dornier-228 maritime patrol aircraft to the Sri Lankan Air Force.
• In Spite of giving monetary help and gifting a Dornier-228 maritime patrol aircraft to sri lanka, its decision to allow docking of chinese ship raises lot of questions for the Indian security scenario.

The Indian Navy has been constantly monitoring Yuan Wang-5, which is under the command of the PLA’s Strategic Support Force and can track trajectory of long-range ballistic missiles, monitor satellite launches and gather electronic intelligence.