The Impact of ‘String of Pearls’ Strategy of China on Indo-China Relationship.

Abstract

India and China are the emerging super powers in the 21st century. From the independence there is an antagonistic relationship between the two states in case of Pakistan and border issues. This hostile situation has been worsening with the Chinese intervention in the Indian Ocean. ‘String of Pearls’ is a Chinese strategy to capture maritime dominance in the world. Indian Ocean Region is one of its prominent attentions. China is investing in the maritime keystones in the region such as Gwadar, Hambantota, Sittwe and Chittagong. As the regional power India is also interested in the maritime hegemony in the region and it has created a competition between the two countries. This study aims to illuminate the impacts of ‘string of pearls’ strategy on Indo-China relationship. Defining the string of pearls strategy, identifying the nature of Sino-India relationship and illustrate the impacts of ‘string of pearls’ on Indo-China relationship were the objectives which motivated the study. Secondary data was collected using qualitative research approach. Mahan model was used to demonstrate the string of pearls strategy and offensive, defensive realism and China-threat theory were applied to interpret Indo-China relationship. The rivalry between India and China in establishing maritime military bases affects Indo-China relationship creating a security dilemma. However it could be able to find out that although the strategy affects security perception of two countries their economic rapprochement is not affected. The security dilemma affects not only India and China but also the other states in the region as well as other super powers. Therefore this study is very important for the decision makers of those countries and the scholars who are studying related areas. It is significant as it fills research gap of researches on ‘string of pearls’ which do not discuss its impacts on Sino-India relationship. The findings offer insights into important international relations theories too. The involvement of international organizations, strengthening international law of sea and reinforcement of economic relationship are some recommendations suggests by the study to solve the issue because the bilateral cooperation between the two countries is essential for international peace and security.