With India’s diplomatic lobbying gathering pace in different countries such as the US, UK, France, Germany Russia, Japan, Australia, etc, major powers of the world have given fillip to their efforts to deal with growing Chinese influence in Indian Ocean, South China Sea and East China Sea.
Australia has recently sailed with America, South Korea and Japan in a western Pacific naval exercise as the US builds regional alliances to counter the rise of China. India wants regional alliances to be built as the rise of China and its push into the Pacific alarms the Indo-Pacific nations as well as Washington.
Nations such as Japan and New Zealand have also become more aggressive in the oceanic regions wherever China is flexing its muscles. Now, in what has come as a shot in the arm of New Delhi, the US and the Maldives have signed a key defence deal aimed at countering China in the Indian Ocean. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is happy with the defence deal between the US and the Maldives, which “will pave the way for both the nations deepening their engagement in support of maintaining peace and security in the Indian Ocean region”.
India has been relentlessly lobbying with America as well as neighbouring nations such as the Maldives, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, drawing their attention to the growing China’s presence in the Indian Ocean “that needs to be curbed.”
Now, with a framework defence and security agreement having been signed between US and the Maldives at Philadelphia, New Delhi has considered the development to be positive from the perspective of India’s interest vis-à-vis China’s expansionist behaviour in the oceanic region.
“The framework sets forth both countries’ intent to deepen engagement and cooperation in support of maintaining peace and security in the Indian Ocean, and marks an important step forward in the defence partnership,” said the Pentagon. “Both sides reiterated their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific that promotes the security and prosperity of all nations in the region,” the Pentagon added.
The central Indo-Pacific includes the numerous seas and straits connecting the Indian and Pacific oceans. The resource-rich Indo-Pacific region is where China has been trying to spread its influence. It goes without saying that China is trying to expand its influence in the Indian Ocean region. The Maldives and the US are also concerned about how China is engaged in territorial disputes in the South China Sea. It is on a collision course with Japan in the East China Sea. What India has been countering is Beijing’s claim over all of the South China Sea. With this in view, India has launched an intense diplomatic lobbying with countries like Viet- nam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, which are also furious over Beijing’s claims on South China and East China Sea.
Therefore, New Delhi has strongly supported the defence framework agreement between the Maldives and the US. According to sources, the MEA was closely watching the development leading to the signing of this agreement between the US and the island nation. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had personally sought a report from India’s Embassy in Washington on the updates related to the agreement. “Since it is clearly about ensuring peace and security in Indian Ocean region, there is no question of New Delhi not being supportive of this deal,” said an official.