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China and India: Comparisons of Naval Strategies and Future Competition

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India and China in the Emerging Dynamics of East Asia

Abstract

Following the rise of China, the rise of India has also become the focus of global attention. The US National Intelligence Council (NIC) has concluded that the emergence of China and India as new players on the global stage, similar to a united Germany in the nineteenth century and a powerful United States in the early twentieth century, will transform the geopolitical landscape. Alongside their economic achievement, transformation of their foreign strategies is also important for observing the possible impact of China and India on each other and on the rest of world, especially on the emerging maritime security environment. In this paper we first describe why maritime strategy is crucial to the two countries and then explain what they stress in their new policies. After analyzing two arenas with potential conflict in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, we conclude that, even though China is under focus at present, India is also an important naval power that China cannot afford to ignore in its plans to develop a blue-water navy and become a real global player.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Zheng He (1371–1433), also known as Hajji Mahmud Shamsuddin, was an excellent mariner, explorer, diplomat, and fleet admiral who commanded voyages organized by Ming government to Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and East Africa from 1405 to 1433. Traditional and popular accounts of Zheng He’s voyages have described a great fleet of gigantic ships, far larger than any other wooden ships in history. Some modern scholars consider these descriptions to be exaggerated. Also see Louise Levathes (1994).

  2. 2.

    Headquarters Ministry of Defense (Navy) (2007, p. iii).

  3. 3.

    Donald L. Berlin, “India in the Indian Ocean,” Resource Library; http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JIW/is_2_59/ai_n16689838/

  4. 4.

    David Scott (2007–2008); see also “Naval Doctrine: An Analysis,” New Delhi, 04 July 2004, http://www.indiadefence.com/navaldoct.htm

  5. 5.

    On discussion about “India Rise,” see Yasheng Huang and Tarun Khanna (2003), Yevgeny Bendersky (2004), Stephen P. Cohen (2001), Baldev Raj Nayar and T. V. Paul (2003), and C. Raja Mohan (2003).

  6. 6.

    National Intelligence Council (2004).

  7. 7.

    Iftekharuzzaman (1989), quoted in A.K.M. Abdus Sabur (1995, p. 17).

  8. 8.

    See “Vietnamese Naval Chief Visits India to Foster Defence Ties,” Defence Now, June 28, 2011; http://www.defencenow.com/news/223/vietnamese_naval_chief_visits_india_to_foster_defence_ties.html

  9. 9.

    Some observers support that India needs to play an active role in building an inclusive architecture for security in the South China Sea and across the Asia-Pacific. G. Parthasarathy, “Asian Balance of Power,” July 30, 2011, The Pioneer; http://www.dailypioneer.com/pioneer-news/columnist/1638-asian-balance-of-power.html

  10. 10.

    According to The International Seabed Authority, a United Nations’ body, China will be allowed to explore an area measuring 10,000 km2 (3,800 mile2) for 15 years and will be given priority mining rights.

  11. 11.

    See “China announces plan to expand seabed mining in Indian Ocean,” Jagran Post, http://post.jagran.com/china-announces-plan-to-expand-seabed-mining-in-indian-ocean-1316262357-1

  12. 12.

    NIC, Mapping the Global Future, http://www.dni.gov/nic/NIC_globaltrend2020.html#contents

  13. 13.

    NIC, Global Trends 2025 : A Transformed World, http://www.dni.gov/nic/NIC_globaltrend2015.html#contents

  14. 14.

    See “China and India: Contest of a Century,” The Economist, August 14, 2010; http://www.economist.com/node/16846256

  15. 15.

    China’s naval task force en route to the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia for an escort mission against pirates has entered formally the Indian Ocean in 2008. See “Chinese escort fleet to enter Indian Ocean,” December 30, 2008, People’s Daily Online; http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90883/6564329.html

  16. 16.

    Karl Pilny (translated by Chen Li) (2008, pp. 190–191).

  17. 17.

    See “PM asks China to be sensitive to India’s ‘core issues’,” The Times of India, Oct 29,2010; http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-10-29/india/28267148_1_stapled-visa-issue-b-s-jaswal-defence-exchanges

  18. 18.

    See “China now has more warships than America, according to the IISS,” The Economist, August 30, 2010; http://www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2010/08/daily_chart

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate Institute of International Politics, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan

    Tung-Chieh Tsai

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  1. Tung-Chieh Tsai
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Correspondence to Tung-Chieh Tsai .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Indo-Pacific Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

    G. V. C. Naidu

  2. Graduate Institute of International Politics, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan

    Mumin Chen

  3. Institute of International Relations International Doctoral Program in Asia-Pacific Studies, College of Social Sciences National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Raviprasad Narayanan

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Tsai, TC. (2015). China and India: Comparisons of Naval Strategies and Future Competition. In: Naidu, G., Chen, M., Narayanan, R. (eds) India and China in the Emerging Dynamics of East Asia. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-2138-8_9

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