Dr Sankalp Gurjar is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Geopolitics and International Relations, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Udupi, India
The use of defence-related instruments and activities, in a cooperative and peaceful manner, to support foreign and strategic policy is defined as defence diplomacy. India has long been practising defence diplomacy to complement its foreign policy. The arc of India’s defence diplomacy is expanding steadily in terms of the nature of activities as well as geographic coverage. Historically, the training of military personnel, capacity building and providing necessary security assistance, as was seen in the case of Seychelles and Mauritius, were key components of India’s defence diplomacy.
The Western Indian Ocean (WIO) is now attaining centrestage in the geopolitics of the Indian Ocean. Apart from France and the US, China holds significant interests in the WIO. China’s interests with the WIO states could be divided in four categories: dual-use infrastructure building, politico-diplomatic focus, connectivity-access and military activities. All four are interconnected and facilitate China’s desire to project power. For China, activities in the WIO serve the purpose of ensuring energy supplies, maintaining economic growth and securing military interests.
