In a major strategic victory over China, India has secured operational rights of a terminal of Bangladesh’s Mongla port in the Indian Ocean. As per experts, it will give a major boost to India’s maritime race to gain quasi-control of foreign ports, especially in its neighbourhood where China has sought to expand its influence. The details of the deal are not out yet. It’s India’s third successful bid to run overseas ports in the last years, after Chabahar in Iran and Sittwe in Myanmar.
As per media reports, the terminal at the Mongla port will be managed by Indian Port Global Limited (IPGL).
The Indian Ocean region is key to fulfilling the objectives of China’s Maritime Silk Road initiative. From Gwadar in Pakistan to Djibouti in East Africa, China has made substantial investments in ports, a sector where India still remains a lightweight.
For instance, none of the Indian ports feature in the world’s top 10 ports based on container traffic. On the other hand, China has six ports on the list.
According to C Uday Bhaskar, director of the Delhi-based think tank Society for Policy Studies, even development regarding to Chabahar and Sittwe ports has remained unimpressive over the years due to geopolitical and security factors.
“The progress [by Indian companies] in Iran and Myanmar has been uneven due to other geopolitical factors, and hopefully Mongla will allow for speedy execution of the agreement ,” he was quoted as saying by South China Morning Post.
China’s influence in Indian Ocean
As of now, China is actively involved in at least 17 Indian Ocean ports, out of which it’s directly involved in the construction of 13 ports.
Now, India is hoping to boost its influence over key maritime locations on the western and eastern sides of the Indian Ocean and reinforce its role in regional security. “Building and managing ports is a form of ‘port diplomacy’ – a refurbished national power tool – which is acquiring strategic significance and China has pursued this path with great success,” Bhaskar said.