New Delhi: Over the years, India's strategic footprint in the Indo-Pacific region has received a significant boost, especially in the face of Growing China's influence in the region.
For India, the Indian Ocean region is strategically vital because roughly 80 per cent of its crude oil and 95 per cent of its trade are transported via seas and oceans. The increase in Chinese infrastructure investments, ports, and military installations in the area has made New Delhi insecure. However, to keep China at bay, India is adopting all possible ways to strengthen and beef up its maritime capabilities.
India taking complete control of the Sittwe port on the Kaladan River in Myanmar's Rakhine province, will not only strengthen its maritime influence in the Indo-Pacific but also play a crucial role in shaping the region's geopolitical dynamics, especially when China is leaving no stone unturned to flex its maritime muscle in the Indo-pacific.
After the Chabahar port in Iran, the Centre approved a proposal for India Ports Global (IPGL) to take over the operations of the entire Sittwe port in Myanmar.
In an interview with ETV Bharat, Sohini Bose, Associate Fellow at Observer Research Foundation, Kolkata, specialised in maritime studies, said, "Securing the operational rights of the Sittwe port indicates a realisation of India's Act East Policy by which the country seeks to strengthen diplomatic ties with the ASEAN countries. For India, the Bay of Bengal is its maritime neighbourhood and hence a primary area of interest for the country and a primary gateway for it into the wider waters of the Indo-Pacific".
When asked why Sittwe Port is important for India, Bose said Sittwe port is important for India because it can provide its landlocked northeastern states access to the sea for increased overseas commerce which will help in its development.
"The port is located close to India’s northeast and will be eventually connected with it via the Kaladan River and a highway from Paletwa in Myanmar's Chin state to Zorinpui in Mizoram, India. The port thus offers a more convenient way for the cargo from the Northeast to reach India’s Kolkata port, bypassing the narrow and congested Siliguri Corridor," she explained.
Furthermore, commenting on the strategic importance of the port as far as China's port build-up is concerned be it in Sri Lanka or Bangladesh, Bose added, "There is Sino-Indian geopolitical competition unfolding in the Bay of Bengal, a major manifestation of which is competing investments in key ports around the Bay. This has been seen in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and now Myanmar".
She said, "While securing the operation rights of the Sittwe port was indeed a diplomatic win for India, it will be doubly important for the country to ensure its functionality, in the context of the growing political instability in Myanmar and the takeover of Paletwa by the Arakan Army, reported to be an ally of China".
"Paletwa is essential to the Kaladan project as it is the site from which a highway will be constructed to link the Sittwe port with Mizoram. However, the zone is among the worst affected", the expert added.
Another feather in the cap of India's maritime diplomacy is that most recently, the Vizhinjam port in Kerala has received approval from the government to operate as India's transshipment port. This will allow cargo to be transferred from large vessels to smaller ones, contributing to India's goal of becoming a manufacturing hub.
