India Counters Chinese Intrusions in Bay of Bengal
An analysis details India's efforts to counter Chinese intrusions in the Bay of Bengal (BOB), a strategically important region between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The article discusses "grey zone" activities below the threshold of high-intensity conflict, involving economic and military competition. China has penetrated the BOB through Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka via infrastructure projects, military hardware sales, and oceanographic surveys. Examples include a planned $9 billion deep-water trans-shipment port at Galathea Bay in Car Nicobar, submarine sales to Bangladesh and Myanmar, and survey vessel operations. Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina alleged US involvement in her ouster over St. Martin's Island, which the US denied. The article cites scholar Mohammad Rubaiyat Rahman.