By Yusuf Hatip
ISLAMABAD
An ongoing rivalry between China and India for maritime influence in South Asia could eventually lead to military escalation.
For
one, both countries are competing for influence in the strategic Strait
of Hormuz, the narrow body of water linking the Gulf of Oman to the
Persian Gulf.
China
and India have long enjoyed considerable influence in the strait: the
former is a major investor in Pakistan’s Gwadar deep-sea port, while the
latter is a major investor in Iran’s Port of Chabahar.
Both
ports enjoy considerable geostrategic importance in the region because
of their relative proximity to the Strait of Hormuz and because they
both serve as links between the Central Asia, South Asia and the Middle
East regions.
The
Gwadar and Chabahar ports together account for the movement of roughly
two thirds of the world’s total oil traffic, with an average of 18
billion barrels of crude oil passing through the two ports daily.
In 2013, the China Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC) bought the right to operate the Gwadar Port for a 40-year-period.
China
wants the Gwadar Port to become an alternative to the Malacca Strait
(the stretch of water between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian
island of Sumatra), which could potentially be blocked by India.
Within
the same context, Beijing and Islamabad have signed some $46 billion
worth of agreements in both the energy and infrastructure sectors.
India,
for its part, had long wanted to invest in Iran’s Chabahar port, but
longstanding economic sanctions on the Islamic republic -- finally
lifted last year -- had served to hinder these hopes.
In
May, however, Iran and India signed an $85-million agreement giving the
latter the right to develop the port -- thereby significantly
bolstering its capacity -- by the end of 2016.
India
hopes its investments in the Chabahar Port will allow it to benefit
from Iran’s and Afghanistan’s copious energy resources.
New
Delhi ultimately hopes to import gas and oil from Central Asia, to
which it wants to export cars, computers and technology in return.
Escalation fears
It
is important to note that one of China’s first military priorities is
to establish itself as the "unrivaled naval power" in the Indian Ocean.
In
this regard, some observers have warned, the intense economic rivalry
currently underway between China and India -- particularly the struggle
over maritime influence -- could eventually take on a military
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