Indo – Pacific Strategy launched by Germany with Key role of India

It reflects the realities of the modern world, is focused around democracies

• The current European Union President and the largest economy of Europe,
  Germany launched Indo-Pacific strategy along with India
• The new Indo-Pacific strategy, which reflects the realities of the modern world,
  is focused around democracies
• On one level, the strategy is a simple concession to economic and geopolitical
  reality

Salient Highlights of the Strategy

• The strategy has several indirect references to Chinese behaviour in the IndoPacific region
• Germany has also suggested to play a key role in the Bay of Bengal Initiative for
  Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation and Indian Ocean Rim
  Association
• It will work on maritime safety and disaster risk management
• Germany has also exhibited its willingness to cooperate with India and Japan in
  United Nations Security Reforms
• Berlin’s Indo-Pacific guidelines foreground maritime security cooperation,
  human rights
• It states the diversification of Germany’s economic partnerships in the IndoPacific in order for it and regional partners to “to avoid unilateral dependencies
• On one level, the strategy is a simple concession to economic and geopolitical
  reality

Background of the Reality

• Asia has long been Germany’s largest export market outside of Europe itself,
  and its economy remains heavily reliant on the global supply chains and open
  sea lanes that speed German-made cars and other goods to fast-growing Asian
  markets
• It recognizes that the growing strategic uncertainty in the Indo-Pacific—due
  both to China’s increasing assertiveness in the region and the American push
  back that this has engendered—is likely to have direct impact on Germany’s
  future prosperity and security
• Conversely, improved partnerships with other nations in the Indo-Pacific will
  undoubtedly help Germany handle many of the global challenges posed by an
  increasingly brash and ambitious China

Highlights of the Germany’s Strategy

• Around 90% of the world foreign trade is conducted by sea and a large part via
  Indian and Pacific Oceans
• 25% of world maritime trade passes through Strait of Malacca
• More than 2,000 ships per day transport goods between South China Sea and
  Indian Ocean
• Disruption in these maritime routes will affect the supply chins to and from
  Europe
• Millions of jobs in Germany depend on these trade and investment relations
• Therefore, it is important for Germany to focus on the security of these
  maritime routes

India’s Geopolitical benefits

• According to Annual Defense Report of the United States, China has the biggest
  Naval Force in the world. It has more than 350 ships and submarines
• Also, China is looking for opportunities to expand its foot prints in the Indian
  Ocean Region
• India is already expecting the Chinese to make similar moves in the Indo-Pacific
  as that of the recent Ladakh stand off
• Such circumstances have already created irritants with the maritime neighbors
  of China in the South china Sea which is condemned by world leaders
• Therefore, it is important for India to get international support to counter
  Chinese moves in the Indian Ocean Region

Pic courtsey: technocodex.com