Twelfth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

The ‘Indo-Pacific’ is a geopolitical construct that is referred to as the confluence of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, through the various Indo-Pacific Straits and South/East China and Philippines Sea. In series of statements, one can notice that the Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China, Wang Yi, has expressed his belief that the Indo-Pacific is not a hostile conception against China, particularly keeping the Quad in mind he said “Contrary to the claims made by some academics that the Indo-Pacific Strategy aims to contain China, the four countries official position is that it targets no one”. The Indo-Pacific as a geographical construct has become a prominent feature of China’s foreign policy. It is in this background one can witness the increasing Chinese engagement – economic and political − with countries in the region. As such, in the purview of Chinese political vision, Indonesia is of particular strategic significance due to its north-south shipping lanes, which are of vital importance for the strengthening of Chinese trade connectivity. Consequently, as China’s trade dependence increases on the Indian Ocean, so does its naval presence. It is in this context, this paper studies China’s dependence on Indonesian ASLs with the increasing ingress of Chinese naval ships in the Indian Ocean through the Indonesian sea lanes. It is necessary to understand the geoeconomic significance of Indonesian shipping lanes for Chinese maritime vision, especially in circumstances where India is also striving to play a greater role in the Indo-Pacific.