30/07/2019 - International Relations | GS II |

Sankalp Singh 5 years

Plz Review.

IAS Parliament 5 years

Try to stick to word limit, underline key points. Mention about economic, strategic importance of Mozambique channel.bkeep writing.

IAS Parliament 5 years

KEY POINTS

· Defence minister’s visit to Mozambique this week is a good moment to reflect on the growing significance of the East African coast and the islands off it for the geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific.

· Mozambique, Madagascar and Comoros together constitute the Mozambique Channel, a critical waterway in the Indian Ocean, that has shaped the strategic evolution of the Indian Ocean over the centuries.

· The areas are rich in methane hydrates, alternative source of energy, rich in fish biodiversity attracts major powers.

· Since then, the Mozambique Channel had been a major choke point in the sea lines of communication from Europe to India and further east.

· The control of the Mozambique Channel and the Western Indian Ocean islands became a major element of the extended rivalry between the major powers.

· The rise of China and East Asia as well as the slower emergence of India have deepened economic interdependence between Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

· The sea lines of communication between the east coast of Africa and the Far East have once again acquired some weight and importance.

· As a rising China projects its naval power to the west of the Malacca Straits, competition with the established Indian Ocean powers like the US, UK, France and India has become inevitable.

· As old and new powers jockey for influence in the Indian Ocean littoral, every little island is becoming a contested terrain.

· Defence Ministers’ visit to Mozambique offers an opportunity for Delhi to review the progress made in implementing the Indian Ocean Strategy announced during his visit to some of the island nations in 2015.