The China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Development Cooperation is seen as another expansionist effort by China to invest in ports and infrastructure in IOR countries, especially South Asia, to enhance its presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Maybe, Mijima News reported. , According to the report, against the backdrop of recent setbacks faced by China in the region including Sri Lanka and Pakistan, the China-Indian Ocean Region Forum is an apparent attempt by Beijing to recover some lost ground.
Luo Zhaohui, chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), said: “The Indian Ocean connects Asia, Africa and Oceania and serves as an important window and passage that connects China and other countries in the region to the rest of Is.” world.”
Zhaohui, who is also China’s former ambassador to India, said China will strengthen cooperation with Indian Ocean countries to develop the blue economy and advance the implementation of global development initiatives in the region.
Representatives of 17 states and three international organizations participated virtually in the meeting. Although Beijing claimed that India was invited to the forum, there was no representative from the country at the meeting.
According to Mijima News, an official Chinese agency, CIDCA hosted the forum on 21 November along with the People’s Government of Yunnan Province. It states that CIDCA has been established with a view to counter the strong influence of India. In the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), an organization with 23 member states.
China, eyeing the strategic advantages of the IOR, has repeatedly said that the Indian Ocean is not India’s ocean. The report states that the country is looking to expand its economic, military and political influence in the region.
According to Mijima News, dominating the region will not be an easy task for China as the US is trying to integrate itself more closely in the region through several initiatives such as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.
“So, clearly, China will need to rethink its approach to wooing its neighbors and smaller countries in the region,” the report said.
Recently, Mijima News reported that China is continuing with its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) through Myanmar as only Myanmar provides it access to both the Indian Ocean and the Pacific to prevent perceived encroachment of its borders. Could