{ "id": "R45194", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R45194", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 581047, "date": "2018-04-20", "retrieved": "2018-05-22T13:23:51.848234", "title": "China-India Great Power Competition in the Indian Ocean Region: Issues for Congress", "summary": "The Indian Ocean Region (IOR), a key geostrategic space linking the energy-rich nations of the Middle East with economically vibrant Asia, is the site of intensifying rivalry between China and India. This rivalry has significant strategic implications for the United States. Successive U.S. administrations have enunciated the growing importance of the Indo-Pacific region to U.S. security and economic strategy. The Trump Administration\u2019s National Security Strategy of December 2017 states that \u201cA geopolitical competition between free and repressive visions of world order is taking place in the Indo-Pacific region.\u201d\nA discussion of strategic dynamics related to the rivalry between China and India, with a focus on U.S. interests in the region, and China\u2019s developing strategic presence and infrastructure projects in places such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma (Myanmar), and Djibouti, can inform congressional decision-makers as they help shape the United States\u2019 regional strategy and military capabilities. Potential issues for Congress include determining resource levels for the Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Army to meet the United States\u2019 national security interests in the region and providing oversight of the Administration\u2019s efforts to develop a regional strategy, provide foreign assistance, and maintain and develop the United States\u2019 strategic and diplomatic relationships with regional friends and allies to further American interests.\nCompetition between China and India is driven to a large extent by their economic rise and the rapid associated growth in, and dependence on, seaborne trade and imported energy, much of which transits the Indian Ocean. There seems to be a new strategic focus on the maritime and littoral regions that are adjacent to the sea lanes that link the energy rich Persian Gulf with the energy dependent economies of Asia. Any disruption of this supply would likely be detrimental to the United States\u2019 and the world\u2019s economy. China\u2019s dependence on seaborne trade and imported energy, and the strategic vulnerability that this represents, has been labeled China\u2019s \u201cMalacca dilemma\u201d after the Strait of Malacca, the key strategic choke point through which a large proportion of China\u2019s trade and energy flows.\nMuch of the activity associated with China\u2019s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) can be viewed as an attempt by China to minimize its strategic vulnerabilities by diversifying its trade and energy routes while also enhancing its political influence through expanded trade and infrastructure investments. China\u2019s BRI in South and Central Asia and the IOR, when set in context with China\u2019s assertive behavior in the East China Sea and the South China Sea and border tensions with India, is contributing to a growing rivalry between India and China. This rivalry, which previously had been largely limited to the Himalayan region where the two nations fought a border war in 1962, is now increasingly maritime-focused. Some in India feel encircled by China\u2019s strategic moves in the region while China feels threatened by its limited ability to secure its sea lanes. Understanding and effectively managing this evolving security dynamic may be crucial to preserving regional stability and U.S. national interests. \nSome IOR states appear to be hedging against China\u2019s rising power by building their defense capabilities and partnerships, while others utilize more accommodative strategies with China or employ a mix of both. Some also see an opportunity to balance India\u2019s influence in the region. Hedging strategies by Asian states include increasing intra-Asian strategic ties, as well as seeking to enhance ties with the United States. This may present an opportunity for enhanced security collaboration particularly with like-minded democracies such as the United States, India, Australia and Japan. While forces of nationalism and rivalry may increase tensions, shared trade interests and interdependencies between China and India, as well as forces of regional economic integration in Asia more broadly, have the potential to dampen their rivalry. The United States\u2019 presence as a balancing power can also contribute to regional stability.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45194", "sha1": "0f873bca2756ee815e60166e9732ee904437e347", "filename": "files/20180420_R45194_0f873bca2756ee815e60166e9732ee904437e347.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45194_files&id=/4.png": "files/20180420_R45194_images_c4bd7fb3e584122b319fcf52a575c6e8069b8366.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45194_files&id=/1.png": "files/20180420_R45194_images_2f39e99ce15f4061256539aa09cfc2cfb9a0c03a.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45194_files&id=/2.png": "files/20180420_R45194_images_aab46a320c38362b621b5aa1b20a44d6805c08c6.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45194_files&id=/3.png": "files/20180420_R45194_images_e4e145750434bd7dfeb1dc76a832ddd0adecefd5.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45194_files&id=/0.png": "files/20180420_R45194_images_9ae45fc29d8aa4f3ac6407f4128ba9ae307e0cce.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45194", "sha1": "3d4bf676130e76924f5fea6d2e54d3a78e2200a9", "filename": "files/20180420_R45194_3d4bf676130e76924f5fea6d2e54d3a78e2200a9.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [] } ], "topics": [ "Asian Affairs", "Economic Policy", "Energy Policy", "Foreign Affairs", "National Defense" ] }