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If you have been following the US-Israel vs Iran war, I need not tell you about the Strait of Hormuz. A strait that allowed Iran to have the upper hand and stand against the US so strongly that it hasn’t been able to win the war yet. Now, what if I say that India could also have such a strait and counter China, which has been planning to surround India with its String of Pearls strategy? But this is something that you might want; however, Congress doesn’t want it for sure!
And so the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi and his mother, Sonia Gandhi, are writing and speaking against it. I remember reading an article by Sonia Gandhi some time ago, in which she called out the project as ‘grave misadventure’. And now, while elections were going on in West Bengal, his son Rahul was roaming in the jungles of Nicobar, making vlogs, explaining how the Great Nicobar Project is bad.
I’m always amazed by this Gandhi duo, where both are wrong but still are heard and given space because of their political background. No thought for the nation, just repeating the Left-old activists who are still living in their Lenin era. Who, in reality, love to sit in full air conditioned five star hotels on furniture made from cutting trees, but do not want at any cost the tribals to even think of this luxury.
This Great Nicobar Project is officially called the Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island. An investment of approximately Rs 72,000 crore will be made in it. The project has four main pillars: International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT) 2) International Airport 3) Greenfield Smart City 4) Power Plant.
The International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT) will be built at Galathea Bay. It will provide berthing space for the world’s largest cargo ships. The benefit? Currently, since India has no large port of its own, it pays rent to foreign ports. With this built, not only will that money be saved, but we can also charge rent from other countries.
For your information, this single ICTT has the capacity to turn Nicobar into Singapore. Singapore, despite having no natural resources, is a global economic powerhouse — and transhipment is a big reason for that. By becoming a transhipment hub, it positioned itself as the world’s post office. Large ships from Europe and America offload at Singapore and from there, thousands of containers are dispatched in smaller ships.
Singapore is also the world’s number one refuelling hub. Every ship passing through the Strait of Malacca refuels here. The Strait of Malacca is found between Indonesia and Malaysia and is the shortest route connecting the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. All of China’s oil coming from the Middle East and Africa passes through this very strait.
The port acted as a magnet for other high-value industries. Banks moved to Singapore to provide loans for shipping and trade. Similarly, it also became a hub for marine insurance and legal dispute resolution.
And last but not least, because the logistics were so efficient, global companies like Apple and Nike set up their regional headquarters there to manage their supply chains. Imagine all this can happen in our country too. How many people will get employment; how many lives will prosper?
Then, a large international airport will be built that will be used for both civilian and military purposes. This airport will be complemented with Greenfield Smart City, a modern city, where employees, officials and traders connected to the port and airport will live. And lately, a large gas and solar-based power plant will be set up for the electricity needs of the city and port.
After all this, you still think it would be bad? If yes, you are a Communist pretending otherwise.
Not just development, but this project will act as India’s counter to China’s String of Pearls Strategy. A strategy through which China is trying to encircle India from all sides in the Indian Ocean. Through which, China is building a network of ports and military bases in different countries around India, which looks like a necklace of pearls on a map. Such as: Gwadar Port in Pakistan, the most important pearl of China’s policy with its loser Iron brother. From here, China can directly reach the Arabian Sea and deploy its navy in times of war.
Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka, a port which was taken by China on a 99-year lease, when Sri Lanka couldn’t repay its debt. Why it is a concern is that this port is close to India’s southern tip. It is China’s best base for spying on India’s southern region.
Then, Chittagong and Mongla Port in Bangladesh, ports set up by China to establish its foothold in the name of infrastructure development, but essentially surround India.
Kyaukphyu Port in Myanmar, a large port and pipeline through which it can directly intervene in the Bay of Bengal.
And not just in the Asian continent, but the African continent, too. Djibouti in Africa is China’s first official overseas military base. A base which keeps watch over the western gateway of the Indian Ocean. From here, it can also control routes through the Indian Ocean.
Last but not least, Ream Naval Base in Cambodia. Recent satellite images reveal that China has especially built a large facility for its navy here. This strengthens China’s grip in the South China Sea beyond the straits and puts pressure on India’s friends like Vietnam.
China is using this network in two main ways. 1) Strategic encirclement 2) Dominance in the Indian Ocean. Strategic encirclement in the sense that if there is war or tension between India and China, China can use these ports to refuel its warships and submarines and supply weapons. This would force India to split its army in multiple directions to protect its long maritime border.
Wastage of time, energy and resources. And dominance in the Indian Ocean because historically, India has had supremacy in the Indian Ocean. China wants to reduce India’s influence by permanently deploying its navy—the People’s Liberation Navy—here. For this, it often sends spy ships under the name of ‘research vessels’ that watch India’s missile tests.
If you are thinking, how is China able to do all this? It’s because of its Debt Trap Diplomacy. China tell countries: build a grand port. We are here for you. We will give you a loan. Do not worry at all. But later, when these countries aren’t able to repay the debt, China says that we were kidding; just give us this port.
Now you tell me, how in such a scenario and with such a neighbour, should the Leader of the Opposition and the oldest party of India, as claimed, oppose the Great Nicobar Project? You’ll say, no, but ‘Congress cannot’.
There is an NGO called RGF (Rajiv Gandhi Foundation). This NGO started receiving donations from the Chinese Embassy in 2005. After this, in 2008, an MoU was signed between the Congress Party and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Those who signed it on the Congress side were Rahul Gandhi, and on the CCP side was the then Vice President of China — who is now President — Xi Jinping.
After this secret agreement, India opened its markets to China. But in return, Indian companies did not get access to Chinese markets. It is during this same period that the trade deficit between India and China increased very rapidly. India kept sending raw materials to China and China started dumping finished goods in India. The result was that many Indian toy-making, electronics, and medicine-making companies shut down. PM Modi’s efforts at Atmanirbhar Bharat are helping India become self-dependent, but still, the wound made by the Congress will take some time to repair.
RGF’s involvement deserves a watch. In that era when Congress and the CCP were signing secret agreements, RGF published several such reports and studies suggesting there should be a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and China and that tariffs (taxes) on Chinese goods should be reduced to boost trade.
RGF’s ‘research reports’ were used to influence government policies, through which the doors of India were fully opened for cheap goods from China.
Additionally, through the donations received by RGF and the 2008 MoU, information that was in China’s interest was shared. Home Minister Amit Shah claimed in Parliament that there is a direct link between RGF’s donations and the ‘softness’ shown towards China during that time. I see no reason for not agreeing with Shah, after seeing how the mother-son duo is batting for China.
In short, RGF’s role was like a ‘think-tank’ and not some helping-the-needy NGO. A think-tank that prepared reports promoting China’s economic interests in India. This is why today, when the 2008 agreement is discussed, the Chinese funds received by RGF are considered a part of that entire process.
For this reason, in 2022 the Indian government cancelled RGF’s FCRA licence because it was found that foreign money was being used for purposes that were against the foundation’s prescribed rules. But the Left would say otherwise. In all, the RGF deserved what it got. However, Mr Shah, it would have been great if you had banned this so-called NGO altogether.
After all, India was once self-sufficient in medicine raw materials (API). But later, due to cheap Chinese supply, Indian companies stopped making API. Today, India is 70-80% dependent on China for many life-saving medicines, which is also a major security threat.
During that era, Chinese equipment (Huawei, ZTE) was heavily used in many of India’s large power plants and telecom networks (like BSNL and private companies). This did not give India’s telecom and power manufacturing industry a chance to grow. There were also risks related to data security.
There was a strange inconsistency in the tax policies of that time. Importing ready-made finished goods was cheap, but importing raw materials to make them was expensive. For example, if you imported a ready-made laptop from China, the tax was low — but if you imported parts to assemble a laptop in India, the tax was higher. This ‘inverted’ tax system broke the back of Indian manufacturing.
The RGF played a crucial role in making all this possible.
There I say: the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation was on China’s payroll.
I hope you now understand why the ‘Congress cannot’.
In the Indo-Pacific region, the Great Nicobar Project is nothing less than a ‘nightmare’ for China. Behind it is not just trade, but deep military and diplomatic calculations. Here are 4 main reasons why this project is so frightening for China: 1) The Chokehold on Malacca’s Neck 2) The Unsinkable Aircraft Carrier 3) Challenge to China’s Economic Dominance 4) Extension of QUAD’s Power.
The Chokehold on Malacca’s Neck because China’s biggest weakness is its ‘Malacca Dilemma’. About 80% of China’s oil passes through this narrow route. Great Nicobar Island is only 150-170 km from the entry point of the Strait of Malacca. India having a powerful military base and airstrip here means India can, whenever it wants, strangle China’s ‘energy lifeline’. In a war situation, India has the capability from here to completely blockade China’s trade.
The Unsinkable Aircraft Carrier because the Great Nicobar is not just an island, but India’s aircraft carrier in the middle of the sea that cannot be sunk. Advanced radars and reconnaissance planes like the P-8I deployed here will keep a 24/7 watch on every Chinese submarine and warship coming and going across the entire Indo-Pacific region and South China Sea. China’s navy will have to pass through this ‘gate’ to enter the Indian Ocean, where the Indian Navy will already be deployed.
Challenge to China’s Economic Dominance because China wants to dominate world trade through its ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI). The International Container Transhipment Port (ICTP) being built at Great Nicobar will directly challenge the ports where China has influence (like Sri Lanka’s Hambantota). If India offers Singapore-like facilities here, global shipping companies will choose the Indian port over China-backed ports, which will weaken China’s economic encirclement.
Extension of QUAD’s Power because India, America, Japan, and Australia (QUAD) together want to stop China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific. The Great Nicobar Project makes India a ‘Net Security Provider’ in this region. China fears that in the future, India might use this base together with its friendly countries (especially America) to encircle it.
The biggest proof of China’s panic is that it has repeatedly tried to run narratives at the international level in opposition to the Great Nicobar Project in the name of ‘environment’ and ‘human rights’. It knows that once this project is completed, its ‘bullying’ in the Indian Ocean will be finished forever.
In one line: Great Nicobar is the ‘fort’ that will challenge China first when it tries to come out of its own home (the South China Sea).
A home that is self-declared but not recognised under international law. A home that is called 90% of China by China – a claim that is contested by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan and China.
This is not the first nail in China’s coffin. India has created a counter-policy to counter China’s String of Pearls, called the Necklace of Diamonds – India’s shield and sword, prepared to stop China’s expansionist policy in the Indian Ocean. While China was encircling India on the coasts, India has now positioned itself at the checkpoints of China’s energy routes.
India has made agreements with countries like Oman, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Mauritius and is building its bases in these countries to cut through China’s string of pearls. Such as: Changi Naval Base, Singapore, one of the most important bases for India. Under an agreement in 2018, the Indian Navy can stop its ships here and refuel. This is right next to the Strait of Malacca, which means India has positioned itself at China’s very gateway.
Then, there’s Sabang Port of Indonesia, a port found at the mouth of the Strait of Malacca. India getting access here means India can ‘trap’ every Chinese ship passing between Andaman-Nicobar and Sabang.
Duqm Port of Oman, located in the Arabian Sea. From here, India can not only keep an eye on the Strait of Hormuz but also control every move at China’s Gwadar Port in Pakistan.
Iran’s Chabahar Port, this is only 170 km from Gwadar (Pakistan). Through this, India has created a route to Afghanistan and Central Asia, bypassing Pakistan and challenged the China-Pakistan alliance.
Assumption Island of the Seychelles, located in the middle of the Indian Ocean, where India is developing a military base. It will help in the surveillance of African coasts and maritime routes.
Vietnam and the Philippines (South China Sea Access), where India has discussed giving Vietnam technology like Akash missiles and BrahMos, and India’s access to their ports has increased. This is like going into China’s own ‘backyard’ (South China Sea) and challenging it.
And here’s the biggest nail in China’s coffin called the Great Nicobar Project. The project has been announced. Understand the project with this: if the Necklace of Diamonds strategy is a necklace for India’s security, then the Great Nicobar Project is the biggest and most shining pendant of this necklace.
You might not be aware of this, but about 80% of China’s crude oil passes through here. Due to such heavy dependence on this narrow route, China always fears that if this route gets choked or blocked, China’s energy supply will completely stop, and its economy will also collapse. India will have the same power to choke the Strait of Malacca that Iran has to choke the Strait of Hormuz, a strait through which about 20-25% of the world’s oil passes and whose closure means the halt of the entire world’s economy. Hence, I believe: there is no better weapon than this to keep China within its limits.
Also, this project is different from other ports India has built because other bases are on the land of other countries where we have limited rights under agreements. But Great Nicobar is on India’s own land. Here we do not need anyone’s permission.
The Great Nicobar Project is like a massive military fortress right at the entry point of the Strait of Malacca. From here, India can not only watch but can fully control the traffic of the Strait of Malacca. It is being called India’s Golden Gate in the Indian Ocean, which has the power to directly squeeze China’s weak nerve.
And mind it, Great Nicobar will bring the modern infrastructure along with it. The infrastructure that will serve as a ‘Disaster Management Hub’ for all of South-East Asia. It will be the most accurate centre in the entire Indian Ocean for providing information about tsunamis and sea cyclones.
In a nutshell, the Great Nicobar Project is ‘India’s biggest bet of the 21st century’. It can make India the ‘Landlord’ of the seas. But it will have to overcome opposition. Its biggest opposition will be made on the basis that it will harm the environment. That climate change will happen because of it.
But what’s new about that? Climate has always been changing since time immemorial. What is new about it? But what is new is this: India cannot have a better opportunity than this to keep China in its place.
