India’s Sea Diplomacy and South China Sea

The Indian prime minister has recently visited three small but strategically significant Indian neighbores. The power equations in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) have implications not only for the littoral states but for the entire Asia-Pacific region. Through the Indian Ocean run some of the busiest sea lanes globally, as oil and natural resources traverse from west to east to feed the burgeoning needs of the world’s second largest economy. China, and the country it dislodged from that slot, Japan. By virtue of its size, geographic location, and economic and military potential India is expected to play a leading role in keeping the sea lanes of communication through the Indian Ocean safe for international trade and commerce. India’ maritime displomacy is constanlty expanding and becoming sophisticated to protect its national intersts. Without confining to the Indian Ocean region, India’s maritime diplomacy is stretched from the farthest point of the Arabian Sea to the Pacific Ocean. India employs negotiation and multilateral cooperation as the cheif tol of maritime diplomacy. The nostalgia of India being an ancient sea power, and the increasing importance of sea routes and sea based resources stimulate India’s maritime diplomacy. The conflict between India and China over the South China Sea has been building for more than a year. India signed an agreemeat with Vietnam in October 2011 to expand and promote oil exploration in the South China Sea and has now reconfirmed its decision to carry on despite the Chinese challenge to the legslity of Indian presence. This book will definitely prove to be a boon to teachers, students and research scholars.