07 Mar 2007

Gwadar, Hambantota & Sitwe: China's Strategic [Indian Ocean] Triangle
Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai, India
Supplied note: "The latest paper of the Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai, India, on the above subject is now available at the web site of the South Asia Analysis Group (SAAG), New Delhi, at [the URL below] - br."
Extract: "Very few would have heard of Gwadar in Pakistan, Hambantota in Sri Lanka and Sitwe (Akyab) in Myanmar before 2002. These were essentially fishing harbours used by the fishermen of these countries. Sometimes, there used to be references to these places in articles on fishing rights, but rarely in articles on possible threats to India's national security. Since 2002, studies on maritime security have started making references to these places. Initially, the focus was on Gwadar. Now, it is also on Hambantota. In the months to come, it will be on Sitwe too. 2. What made these sleepy fishing harbours suddenly become areas of strategic concern to India's maritime security experts? The growing Chinese interest in these places and China's generous offer of assistance to these countries for converting these sleepy fishing harbours into maritime ports of international standards. What explains the Chinese interest in these places?. 3. China's economic and strategic interest in Gwadar and Sitwe is obvious. It is worried over the possibility of disruptions in the movement of oil and gas tankers to China from the Gulf and Africa through the Malacca Straits due to attacks by pirates and/or terrorists. It wants to reduce its dependence on the Malacca Straits for the movement of its oil and gas supplies. [...] The Chinese Government is trying to give its Navy a greater visibility, operability and rapid action capability in the Indian Ocean region than it enjoys now. Gwadar, Hambantota and Sitwe form important components of its maritime security strategy. At the conclusion of his recent visit to Africa, Hu Jintao also visited Seychelles. It is important to monitor the growing Chinese interest there too in any study of China's maritime security strategy." - b.raman
[The author of the paper, Mr B. Raman, is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai. He is also associated with the Chennai Centre for China Studies. - ed.]
URL http://www.saag.org/papers22/paper2158.html
Internet Archive (www.archive.org) - the paper was not archived at the time of this abstract. However, in a few weeks time it will be available at web.archive.org/web/* /www.saag.org - ed.
Link reported by: B. Raman (corde--at--vsnl.com)
* Resource type [news/comments - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Study
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