Chinese threat in the South China Sea is rapidly increasing as China has deployed a large number of armed maritime militias in the region, besides its deployment of an array of warships and other military assets, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu has said, in a recent interaction with an international media group.
Is New Delhi paying attention?
He said there is a pressing need for united efforts from all the stakeholder countries to deal with the challenge. Taiwanese Foreign Minister specifically mentioned India and said, he hope that India is paying “close attention” to China’s growing military in the Indian Ocean and its efforts to control some key points in the region.
China and the Indian Ocean
China has been trying to increase its presence in the Indian Ocean through various means. It is trying to do that by controlling key points in the countries which surround India. It has taken control at the Hambantota port in Srilanka by bringing the country into a financial trap. It is China’s Debt-trap Diplomacy, due to which Sri Lanka had to sign a$1.1 billion deal with China for the control and development of Hambantota port for 99 years. This is of deep concern for India as well as other neighboring countries.
China is similarly trying to grab control over other key locations in countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Djibouti. It is been called a string of pearls strategy around India. Other than Hambantota in Sri Lanka it includes Gwadar in Pakistan, Chittagong in Bangladesh and Kyauk Phru in Myanmar. This string of pearls is a strategic threat to India as it aims to surround India and dominate the Indian Ocean.
South China Sea Dispute
The South China Sea is a part of the western Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by China, Taiwan, Thailand, Cambodia, Brune, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines Singapore and Vietnam. It connects with the East China Sea by the Taiwan Strait and with the Philippine Sea and by the Luzon Strait.
According to China, the “nine-dash line” defines the Chinese territory of this region which is a large portion. It has three archipelagos called the Spratly Islands, Paracel Islands and Pratas Islands and Scarborough Shoal. These Islands have overlapping claims by the surrounding countries as well as China.
China and Taiwan
Wu said that there has been a relentless military threat against Taiwan. China says Taiwan is a province of the country. It continues to warn the self-ruled island that it must unite with China and that it will be done by force if necessary. Beijing has threatened to attack Taiwan if it goes on to declare formal independence or try to delay talks on unification.
