Source: South Asian Voice

The U.S. think tank Stimson Center's publication, "South Asian Voice," published a commentary on August 20 titled "India Needs to 'Upgrade and Enhance' to Compete with China in the Western Indian Ocean." It argues that India has fallen behind China in the competition for influence over Indian Ocean island nations, and India needs to take measures in multiple areas such as institutional, economic, political, and military aspects to catch up with China. The author of this article, Radhey Tambi, is a senior research assistant at the Center for Air Power Studies (CAPS) of an Indian think tank.

Traditionally, India's influence over Indian Ocean island nations has been overwhelming compared to China. In the colonial era, India sent a large number of laborers to many Indian Ocean countries, while Chinese migration to the region was rare. After the Indian Ocean island nations gained independence in the 1960s and 1970s, India established close diplomatic, defense, and economic partnerships with them using historical ties. In 1981, India signed a trade agreement with the Maldives, assisted Seychelles in establishing a defense college, and set up a Gandhi Institute in Mauritius. India also intervened in the region militarily, including in 1986 when it helped the Seychelles government thwart a coup by sending special forces, and in 1988, it deployed paratroopers and the navy to support the Maldivian president in quelling a military coup.

However, India's influence over Indian Ocean island nations is now falling behind compared to China. In terms of diplomacy, China has diplomatic missions in all six Indian Ocean island countries, while India only has diplomatic missions in five countries - the Indian embassy in Madagascar handles matters related to Comoros. In terms of mechanism cooperation, India does not have an overall cooperative mechanism for the Indian Ocean region, and its relations with relevant countries are greatly influenced by the election cycle. In contrast, China steadily advances regional cooperation through multilateral mechanisms such as the "China-Indian Ocean Region Forum" and the "China-Africa Cooperation Forum." In terms of trade, both China and India maintain trade surpluses with Indian Ocean island nations, but China's exported goods are more diverse and dominate capital-intensive products, while India mainly exports agricultural products. China's economic influence is also reflected in the combination of public and private sectors - China actively provides aid at the official level, and also conducts investments through non-governmental organizations and private institutions, providing support in multiple areas such as infrastructure, healthcare, and education to meet the diverse practical needs of island nations. However, India relies too much on public sectors like state-owned enterprises, and the influence of its private sector is mainly limited to large conglomerates. In terms of military, China's presence in Indian Ocean island nations is also steadily increasing.

The competition between China and India in Indian Ocean island nations is still in its early stages, focusing more on countries with key strategic positions. However, India has already lagged behind China, which means India needs to take measures to consolidate its self-perception as a "net security provider in the Indian Ocean" and a "core regional actor": first, strengthen diplomatic, institutional, military, and economic investment, cultivate institutionalized cooperation frameworks for countries within the region, so as to provide stability assurance when internal affairs of relevant countries change. Second, strengthen security and defense cooperation; in addition to dispatching military attachés to island nations, India should also provide them with modern weapons and military personnel capacity building. Third, expand the field of economic cooperation, establish institutionalized cooperation with tourism agencies, attract more Indian tourists to travel there, and strengthen cultural ties through the film industry. Fourth, build a diversified political relationship, strengthen communication with various political factions in island nations, and avoid fluctuations in relations caused by changes in government.

Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7546260097656259112/

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