Investigating a country's navy provides a means of assessing the country's strategic, political, economic as well as international perspectives. Being overwhelmingly strategic in orientation, Indian Ocean occupies an important position among the strategic calculations of all major powers, and as a result has become the centre of gravity due to its increasing economic, military and diplomatic activities in the post-cold war period. Since 1990s China's policies in the region have also changed, primarily due to its high stakes in the region. Its spectacular and constant economic growth has made it an attractive player for markets and its growing activities are an important imperative that shape the strategic environment of the Indian Ocean Region today. Since both India and China are rising simultaneously and have large stakes in this region, both are turning their policies to expand their Maritime sector. The increasing encroachments by China in the Indian Ocean has caused significant amount of friction in their bilateral ties and has led to overlapping spheres of influence with India. The paper establishes that China is expanding its Maritime power in all dimensions creating a security imbalance in South Asia.

China and India are fast emerging as major maritime powers of the Indo-Pacific as part of long term shifts in the regional balance of power. As their wealth, interests and power expand, China and India are also increasingly come into contact with each other in the maritime domain. How India and China get along in the shared Indo-Pacific maritime space – cooperation, coexistence, competition or confrontation – may be one of the key strategic challenges of the 21st century. The relationship is a difficult one: their security relationship is relatively volatile and there are numerous unresolved issues between them. Not least is China’s growing presence in the Indian Ocean where it is perceived in New Delhi to be shaping the strategic environment in its favour and forming alignments that could be used against India. Nor is the relationship well understood. There is relatively little informed analysis of how China and India will interact as maritime powers, and discussion of this area in India and China rarely seeks to explore each other’s perspectives and intentions. There is little understanding of China’s perspectives on the rise of India and expectations about their respective maritime security roles in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The roundtable brings together leading scholars and practitioners from India, China, the United States and Australia to better understand Indian and Chinese perspectives about their respective roles and relationship in the Indo-Pacific maritime domain. Issues and questions addressed by the essays include: • What are Chinese and Indian strategic ambitions in the maritime realm, particularly in the Indian Ocean? How do they understand each other’s legitimate security roles in the region? • What are China’s strategic imperatives in the Indian Ocean? Does China have an Indo-Pacific naval strategy? • How has New Delhi perceived China’s growing naval presence in the Indian Ocean and how has it sought to address those moves at a political and military level? • What are India’s options in responding to China’s Maritime Silk Road initiative? A complete copy of the roundtable is available for download at: http://www.nbr.org/publications/element.aspx?id=899

This article explores the strategic significance of the Indian Ocean for China and India, examining how their actions influence geopolitical dynamics and security policies. The Indian Ocean, a vital global trade route, has seen increased attention from both nations through their naval expansions, infrastructure investments, and diplomatic engagements. This has sparked debates about potential competition, strategic rivalries, and the implications for regional security. The study aims to understand the impact of China and India's activities in the Indian Ocean and their potential for cooperation or conflict. The research question focuses on how these actions affect regional security. The methodology employed is a qualitative research approach, incorporating a literature review, document analysis, case studies, and a comparative analysis of China and India's strategies in the Indian Ocean. The results highlight the Indian Ocean as a critical geopolitical arena undergoing significant transformations due to the actions of China and India. The rise of these two powers has the potential to either lead to conflict and instability or contribute to regional stability by providing public goods such as anti-piracy patrols and disaster relief efforts.

Concomitant with China's rise as a major economic powerhouse over the last few decades has been its greater presence around the globe. More so is in the area of the maritime domain where China is currently competing with both global and regional powers for greater access such that is has successfully created what is known as the Chinese 'string of pearls'. While Beijing has constantly argued that its activities are peaceful and aimed at securing its Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC) and ensuring its trade, commerce and energy security, however, not all the global and regional players are convinced. Over the last two decades, China has been pushing for greater access and presence into the Indian Ocean region such that it has created much uneasiness and anxiety in New Delhi and Washington. The aim of this article is therefore to analyze Chinese activities and strategic ambitions in the Indian Ocean region. While the Chinese policy of creating its string of pearls is not solely confined to the Indian Ocean region alone, this article will, however, focus on the said ocean for at least three reasons. Firstly, the Indian Ocean is important for it serves as the bridge between Asia and the world, and secondly, it has witnessed heightened Chinese activity over the last decade such that it is indeed one of China's major focal point on the global stage. Last, but not least, it has also became, to some extent, a pawn in the rivalries between major global and regional players,

The Indian Ocean has always been, and will remain, on the strategic radar of great powers. Given its strategic location with abundant oil, mineral resources and fisheries, and being a hub of vast seaborne global trade and oil routes, it has turned out to be an arena of great power rivalry.

India's Indian Ocean policy under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and NewDelhi's outlook towards China's growing interest in this Ocean politics

From the Horn of Africa, past the Arabian and the Indian Peninsula, going all the way to Indonesia and beyond, the great Indian Ocean region, stretches across these important junctures which becomes an important medium for India to strengthen its security. India's geostrategic and geo-economic strategy is now getting extremely influenced by its changing Ocean Diplomacy towards indo-pacific. With the recent development of increasing Chinese influence in this region becomes important for India to change its discourse in the Indian Ocean. This geopolitical importance of the Indian Ocean region binding Asia, Africa and Australasia together is calling for a lot of attention by the Indian foreign policy makers for India to counter the China's growing power and its role in the Indian Ocean. India by using its economic, political and diplomatic window with the Indian Ocean rim states needs to further build her strategic power to counter the role of China.

Over the last two decades, China and India have shown significant economic and political growth in the Indo-Pacific region. Despite the source of Covid-19, China has successfully recovered and boosting its production. Where India, USA and European countries are experiencing negative growth, China still have 3.6% growth rate. It is the best time for China to show it's hegemony in the Indo-Pacific region. It is reviving its export through the North Indian Ocean Maritime Route. During this Covid-19 pandemic, the boundary dispute between India and China has become worst after 1962. To establish itself as global superpower, China is creating geopolitical pressure on India. India can retaliate this Chinese aggression, obstructing North Indian Ocean Maritime Route. China's geostrategic interest in this region is mainly to protect its ship-liners. Sri Lanka's enticing geostrategic position is favourable for maritime surveillance and security. All most every Chinese ship has to pass the southern coastline of Sri Lanka during the course between Strait of Hormuz and Malacca. Thus, China has invested a lot to establish its strategic posts in Sri Lanka which directly strike Indian dominance in North Indian Ocean. This paper suggests a few counter mechanisms which India could adopt in responses to this Chinese aggression in the North Indian Ocean and Sri Lanka.

The Indian Ocean has become the key strategic arena in global politics due to its increasing importance in the area of global economic trade and global security. With a booming economy and aspiring great power status, China seems to enter the Indian Ocean by becoming an active player in the region. This shows the strategic shift in China’s maritime focus from the long standing focus on the Pacific to that of looking into the Indian Ocean. China has increased its military activities in the region, expanding the range of its navy westward.This strategic approach is mainly attributed to the growing energy demands and geopolitical considerations vis-à-vis the U.S. and India in the region. In this light, China’s unfolding Indian Ocean strategy is often perceived as an alternative to avoid the Malacca Dilemma’. Thereby,with this context, thepresent paper attempts to focus on the strategic value of the Indian Ocean in international politics. The objective of the paper is to trace China’s changing maritime perception towards the Indian Ocean, analysing its emerging strategic security interests in the region and the policies adopted- which is a key element in China’s national security. Keywords: China, Indian Ocean, Malacca Dilemma, Maritime security, Strategic interests.