Maritime Asia: An Indian Perspective

The Indian Ocean is becoming so vital a part of the Asia-Pacific region that analysts should instead be using the phrase Indo-Pacific region. The growing strategic interest and engaged presence of China and the United States in the Indian Ocean is testament to its rising importance. Against this background India’s role is critical. For many years, India has been much less influential in determining outcomes in the Indian Ocean than was expected but with the increased presence of China and the United States, India is beginning to exert its authority more and to engage proactively with other countries in the region, not least Southeast Asia. Since this is by definition an essentially maritime area, much of this activity will be at sea.