The Implication of US and China Defense Strategy and Economy to the Indian Ocean Stability

Indian Ocean had become significant region in to the major power in this era. US and China had take serious effort to built up a new strategy to be dominant in the Indian Ocean region. The global trades for the Sea Line Of Communication (SLOC) and major critical Chock Points are position in the India Ocean. It put the India Ocean as a strategically vulnerable to the US and China for their economy and defence strategy. It has become as a national interest for the US and China to ensure the security and stability in the Indian Ocean. China utilised the Indian Ocean as a route to transport their trades and energy demand to fulfil the economy expansion of the country. To ensure the safety and the security of the trade vessels in the India Ocean, China had to deploy the PLA Navy to the region. China had made a trades relation with the Indian Ocean littoral countries as to expand their economy globally through Belt Route Initiative (BRI). With the BRI China had gain the footprint in the Indian Ocean states by development cooperation of sea port and land route with the littoral states. This had soft power approach had made opportunity for the China PLA to establish the power in the Indian Ocean through the collaboration with the partner in the littoral states. Meanwhile US has a historical domination in the Indian Ocean since the Cold War. Due to China expansion of economy and defence influence in the India Ocean had triggered US to put a new strategy in the Indo Pacific region. US had initiated a collaboration with the Indo Pacific major power state to ensure the control in the region through QUAD in order to balance China influence in the India Ocean region. US also had be more friendly and supportive with other states in the Indian Ocean through capacity building in order to ensure their existence in the Indian Ocean are supported. The rivalry between US and China in the Indian Ocean had impacted the stability in the India Ocean. This instability had prolong the existing conflict in the Indian Ocean and created more nuclear rivalry in the region.

Lautan Hindi telah menjadi wilayah penting bagi kuasa besar pada era ini. AS dan China telah mengambil usaha yang serius untuk membina strategi baharu untuk menjadi dominan di rantau Lautan Hindi. Laluan perhubungan laut dan laluan perdangan penting adalah terletak di Lautan Hindi. Ia membuatkan Lautan Hindi sangat strategic kepada AS dan China untuk strategi ekonomi dan pertahanan mereka. Ia telah menjadi keutamaan Negara bagi AS dan China untuk memastikan keselamatan dan kestabilan di Lautan Hindi. China menggunakan Lautan Hindi sebagai laluan untuk mengangkut perdagangan dan permintaan tenaga mereka untuk memenuhi keperluan perluasan ekonomi China. Untuk memastikan keselamatan kapal perdagangan di Lautan Hindi, China terpaksa mengerahkan Tentera Laut PLA ke rantau itu. China telah menjalin hubungan perdagangan dengan negara-negara pesisir Lautan Hindi untuk mengembangkan ekonomi mereka secara global melalui BRI. Dengan BRI China telah dapat menduduki di negeri-neger iLautan Hindi melalui keijasama pembangunan pelabuhan laut dan laluan darat dengan negeri-negeri pesisir. Pendekatan melalui kuasa lembut ini telah member peluang kepada PLA China untuk mempertingkatkan penguasaan di Lautan Hindi melalui kerjasama dengan rakan kongsi di negeri-negeri pesisir. Sementara itu pula AS mempunyai sejarah penguasaan di Lautan Hindi sejak Perang Dingin lagi. Disebabkan oleh pengembangan ekonomi China dan pengaruh ketentraannya di Lautan Hindi telah mencetuskan AS untuk meletakkan strategi baru di rantau Indo Pasifik. AS telah memulakan kerjasama dengan Negara kuasa utama Indo Pasifik untuk memastikan kawalan di rantau ini melalui QUAD bagi mengimbangi pengaruh China di rantau Lautan Hindi ini. AS juga lebih mesra dan menyokong negara lain di Lautan Hindi melalui pembinaan kapasiti bagi memastikan kewujudan mereka di Lautan Hindi ini mendapat sokongan. Persaingan antara AS dan China di Lautan Hindi telah menjejaskan kestabilan di Lautan Hindi. Ketidakstabilan ini telah memanjangkan konfliksedia ada di Lautan Hindi dan mewujudkan lebihbanyak persaingan penggunaan nuklear di rantau ini.