India’s maritime policy against China termed strategic overreach in IOR
Beijing: India’s attempt to contain China in the Indian Ocean Region has been described as a strategic overreach that compromises regional stability and New Delhi’s foreign policy autonomy.
According to Kashmir Media Service, India has aligned its maritime posture with the Quad to serve as a US counterweight to China, a move that has alienated smaller littoral states and destabilized trade. Deploying coastal radar systems and naval assets in Maldives, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Mauritius has been criticized as disregard for neighboring sovereignty.
Experts note India’s $92 billion defense budget is being pitted against China’s $336 billion plus outlay, while its navy of about 100 active units faces the 370-ship People’s Liberation Army Navy. Efforts to monitor the Strait of Malacca, through which 80% of China’s oil imports transit, have been undermined as Beijing bypasses chokepoints via the $62 billion CPEC and pipeline projects.
Confrontational tactics targeting Chinese shipping on lanes carrying over $3.5 trillion in annual trade and 20 million barrels of oil daily are said to risk global supply chains. The approach has also replaced inclusive frameworks like the 23-member IORA with exclusive anti-China groupings, turning South Asian and East African diplomacy into a zero-sum contest.
Observers add that the naval escalation does little to address India’s primary continental challenge along the 3,488 km Line of Actual Control with China.
The developments reflect a wider pattern of major powers using maritime blocs to contain rivals abroad, often at the cost of regional cooperation. Similar containment strategies in other regions have strained trade routes, heightened military competition, and left smaller states caught between competing powers, underscoring calls for inclusive security architectures instead of bloc politics.
