INDIA – SINGAPORE STRATEGIC MILITARY COOPERATION: THE IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT TO RESPOND CHINA’S ASSERTIVE BEHAVIOUR IN INDIAN OCEAN REGION (2008 – 2018)

Abstract

The Indian Ocean Region has become an important part of the international trade and energy security for many countries in the world. China’s assertive behaviour in this region is based on its national interest to secure its economic interest and also to secure its merchant ships and oil-carrying tankers passing through the important Sea Lanes of Communications (SLOCs) from potential threat of piracy and armed robbery. Despite the far distance, China’s active military power projection has been deployed in the region since 2008 as part of its anti-piracy operations. Since then, the number of the Chinese naval presence that include the Chinese nuclear-powered submarines in the region has increased exponentially throughout the years, supported with the newly built China’s overseas military base in Djibouti. The China’s assertive behaviour provoked security concerns from India as a nation that strategically located in the southern tip of South Asia, directly facing the Indian Ocean Region. Based on the concept of balance of power, India have to balance China’s increasing military presence through external balancing, by establishing bilateral military cooperation with other country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi then upgraded India’s foreign policy from “Look East policy” to “Act East Policy” in 2014 as a strategic efforts to enhance cooperation with Southeast Asian countries, especially Singapore. In 2015, India and Singapore signed the Strategic Partnership agreement, which elevated the previous Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) in 2003. This Strategic Partnership agreement is expected to enhance both India – Singapore Strategic Military Cooperation (SMC) in order to respond to security concerns including the growing China’s military presence in the Indian Ocean Region.