China-India conflict on influence in South Asia

China-India conflict on influence in South Asia
Five years ago, China launched the "New Silk Road" initiative, which reflected a huge ambition for the Chinese leadership, which has sought to implement projects in 60 countries around the world to win political and economic footholds in strategic locations in the world. The initiative could cost $ 8 trillion over the next 40 years, but it would have major benefits for the Chinese economy and leave a global impact.

However, a growing number of countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East seem to be waking up to the dangers of easily available Chinese loans for their infrastructure projects, realizing that they may fall prey to Beijing's trap trap and lose strategic assets Against these loans.
Sri Lanka recently canceled a previous decision to grant China a $ 300 million contract for a residential project and instead gave it to an Indian company. At the same time, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad announced that he would not proceed with three major projects with China, at a cost of nearly $ 20 billion approved by his predecessor, and warned that China was practicing "a new type of colonialism."
Debt means leverage
Interestingly, in recent weeks, China-related projects worth more than $ 30 billion have been canceled, while loans and other related investments are being reviewed.
The first and most prominent victim of China's ongoing investment in infrastructure was Sri Lanka, which failed to meet the debt repayment it received from China's Exim Bank, which exceeded $ 1 billion for the construction of a port. Sri Lanka itself has been forced to lease the port, which has been of great military importance for 99 years, to a Chinese state-owned port management company. The sirens sounded and New Delhi was in a state of anxiety when submarines following the Chinese army entered Sri Lanka's Colombo port without notice.
In this regard, the former Indian diplomat «G. "What worries other countries is that China will exploit the inability of the host countries to pay their debts as a pretext to gain greater control over major strategic and economic sites," he said.
"Concern is not limited to the economic burden imposed by Chinese loans on partner countries, but also from the Chinese military presence. There is growing concern that the implementation of the New Silk Road Initiative will be accompanied by an increase in China's military presence to support and protect Beijing's economic investments. Two reports issued recently by the Chinese Ministry of Defense have clearly addressed the issue of expanding the use of Chinese military forces to protect economic interests abroad.
Chinese moves are worrying India
In recent times, China's moves to expand its influence within South Asia and the Indian Ocean have been a direct challenge to India's strategic interests. South Asia is of central importance to China's "New Silk Road" initiative, as it provides access to the Indian Ocean region. Beijing has pursued strong diplomacy over the past five years to cooperate with its South Asian neighbors and try to push its "friends" into positions of power within the country. The initiative has raised great Indian concerns. Beijing's investment in building roads, railways and ports in Nepal and the construction of bridges and airports in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives could be used for military and strategic purposes.
"India's influence in South Asia has been challenged by China in the recent period, with the recent temptation of India's neighbors with its money," said Indian commentator Manuhi Mishra. Today, there is growing resentment towards China within these countries, recognizing the dangers of falling into the debt trap. Now, India is back in the picture. "
Over the past few months, countries such as Myanmar, Maldives, Bangladesh and Nepal have either canceled or frozen several of their projects in connection with a massive connectivity project at the continent level.
Indian gains
Recent political developments within the Indian neighborhood, specifically the Maldives and Bhutan, appeared to be positive for New Delhi. The recent defeat of the pro-Beijing government in the Maldives came to add to the list of countries in which anti-China rhetoric has grown at the level of South Asia.
Earlier, Indian experts saw a major diplomatic victory for their country vis-a-vis China in the Maldives, when President Yamin was ousted from power, in what China called Indian-led moves. During his five-year rule, Yamin accumulated debts owed to China for $ 1.3 billion, or a quarter of his country's GDP, in 17 projects funded by Beijing. Given Maldives 'vital position in India's Indian Ocean strategy, the Maldives' inclination towards China has been a major setback for Indian maritime security. "The victory of Mohammed Saleh in the Maldives elections is a victory in the face of China's debt trap diplomacy," the New India Express said. Saleh is studying freezing many of the projects funded by China within the Maldives, while other projects are under scrutiny. "
Similarly, recent elections within Bhutan were closely monitored within India. To this day, Bhutan continues to resist China's attempts to be friendly to it, and stresses that its friendly relations with India do not accept negotiations.
The 72-day stand-off between Indian forces and Chinese troops in the Doklam region last summer has reinforced Bhutan's importance as a buffer zone between the two large neighbors.

According to the CenterThe Washington-based non-profit think tank, the New Silk Road Initiative, which will be unable to meet its debts to Beijing, will end up at the mercy of the latter. The Center warned that eight countries in particular now have debts above the middle level and appear to be at risk: Djibouti, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Maldives, Mongolia, Montenegro, Pakistan and Tajikistan. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Mudi is scheduled to visit Nepal this year, as well as Bhutan and the Maldives, his first since becoming prime minister, later in the year, months ahead of his bid for re-election. Several countries cancel deals with China On the other hand, a substantial link in the New Silk Road was setback when the government of Bangladesh froze plans to build China a port in its Sonadia region, while it awarded a $ 1.6 billion contract for an energy project to India. Geopolitical factors have played a role. India, Japan and the United States are concerned about China's growing presence in the Indian Ocean region. There are rumors that the three countries are exerting pressure on the government of Bangladesh to cancel the Sonadia project. It is remarkable that Bangladesh allows India to use the ports of Chittagong and Mongla to transport shipments to its northeastern provinces. Today's focus is on Bangladesh, in the context of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's bid to win her reelection. Analysts say India's influence in Bangladesh may be high at present, but that could change if the Awami League loses. Sri Lanka was keen to restore some balance to its foreign policies and assured India that sensitive operations inside the ports, including the security department, would be carried out by a Sri Lankan company and that the port of Hambantota leased by China would not be used for military purposes. Repeated requests by the Chinese military to enter the port of Colombo were also rejected. New Delhi's message has left echoes throughout the region, prompting other governments to make undeclared assurances to India that Chinese investments will not be militarized. Similarly, Myanmar hopes to win the required infrastructure projects, without the need to fall into the trap of China's debt diplomacy, forcing it to use the threat of cancellation in negotiations to reduce the cost of the construction of the Kyokbio port from $ 7.3 billion to $ 1.3 billion. The world was shocked when one of the world's poorest countries, Sierra Leone, turned a slice of Chinese cake when President Julius Mado Pio canceled a loan deal signed by his predecessor with China to build a new $ 400 million international port. Comments