Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads to Papua New Guinea and Australia on Sunday as New Delhi seeks to counter mounting Chinese influence in both the Indian and Pacific oceans.
Western nations regularly refer to the wider region as the Indo-Pacific, but New Delhi has been left far behind by Beijing’s efforts in recent years to woo the small island states that dot the vast expanses of water with trade and aid.
Several Pacific island states have switched their diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in recent decades, and before the coronavirus pandemic enjoyed economic boosts from Chinese tourists.
At the same time, as part of its Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing has negotiated infrastructure deals with countries around the Indian Ocean including Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Bangladesh, and Djibouti, sometimes accompanied by military agreements.
New Delhi sees the area as its backyard, and Beijing’s activities have alarmed Indian officials.
In Port Moresby, Modi will co-host the Summit of the Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation with PNG Prime Minister James Marape, before going on to Australia, a fellow member of the Quad – an alliance set up as a bulwark against China’s growing assertiveness under President Xi Jinping.
“China has taken over South China Sea,” said navy veteran and former Indian navy spokesperson DK Sharma, describing the strategically vital waterway as a “global common” that had to be treated and respected as such.
“Today or tomorrow, the enemy is the same. Either you prepare now or react later,” he told AFP. “India’s visit to the islands is one of the last opportunities we have.
“One cannot deny the fact that the power we are all mustering strength against is too superior to be handled by any single one of us. Best way is to collaborate and have like-minded defense procedures.”
Xi visited PNG in 2018, and Beijing struck a controversial security deal with Solomon Islands last year that sent shockwaves across the region when a leaked draft included measures that would allow Chinese naval deployments to the Pacific nation, less than 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) from Australia.
Modi will travel to Australia for meetings with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and business leaders, just two months after the Australian visited India.