China's Strings around India

It is a fact that majority of Indians firmly believe that China is strengthening it's relations with Pakistan & SriLanka in order to gain easy access to Indian Ocean.

China’s strategy of laying down it’s Strings around India and has in deed made New Delhi think tank something of deep concern to think about.

In order to neutralize Chinese strategy, Indian Prime Minister has made bid in front of the international community to include India in the United Nations Security Council, which would check China's move, which is one of the five permanent members.

Well known author Christopher J. Pehrson in his book "String of Pearls: Meeting the challenge of china’s rising power across the Asian littoral" has stated that China is rising geopolitical influence through efforts to increase access to ports and airfields, develop special diplomatic relationships and modernize military forces that extend from the South China Sea through the Strait of Malacca, across the Indian Ocean, and on to the Arabian Gulf.

As per Indian Think Tank, China's policy of surrounding India with it's strings started way back in 1980's. The core aim of China was to enhance the security of energy and having access to refueling stations all across the globe.

Some in India think China’s latest addition to its string of pearls is the Hambantota port in southern SriLanka. Construction on the first phase began last year with Chinese funding, and the whole $1 billion project is expected to finish by 2023. Chinese interest is more strategic than purely commercial.

It is also a point of concern for India that China has been also helping Pakistan with number of Projects. Gwadar on the Mekran coast in Baluchistan being one of them. The Karakoram Highway, which connects China’s Xinjiang region with Pakistan’s north, can also be seen as one of China’s pearls. The highway, called the ninth wonder of the world by some because of its altitude, was completed in 1986 after 20 years of construction. The road opened up China-Pakistan trade and gave both of India’s rivals a fast route through the mountains, not far from the Line of Control in Kashmir.

As per String of Pearls policy so far China has been able to dampen and neutralize India's will to become dominant player in Asia.