Indias Strategy in the South China Sea (International Relations in Southeast Asia)

The tensions in the South China Sea pose considerable challenges to the rulesbased liberal international maritime order. The situation demonstrates the interplay between maritime nationalism and geostrategic rivalry; fuelling militarisation and endangering freedom of navigation, overflight and exploitation of natural resources. Chinas dedicated terraclaims, land reclamation and islandbuilding spree enhanced with military surveillance, communications and logistics infrastructurebuilding in the form of port facilities, military installations and airstrips have escalated these tensions. China declares that these territories are an integral part of its core interests, taking an uncompromising stance on the question of sovereignty and its determination to protect the domain militarily. India, although not a South China Sea littoral state, sees both the general principle of the rulesbased order and the specific issue of navigation between the Indian and Pacific Oceans as core to its own national interest.Chakraborti and Chakraborty assess the rationale and implications of Indias strategies and responses visvis the South China Sea dispute, and their impact on its overall Act East initiative in Southeast Asia policy. They also analyse the implications of Indias stance on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), five memberstates of which (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam) are involved in territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea. The analysis focuses on the administrative tenures of both the United Progressive Alliance from 2004 until 2014 and the National Democratic Alliance from 2014 onwards.