Resource geopolitics and security in the Indo-Pacific is a topic that is attracting the attention of countries in the region, which is home to more than half the world’s population, 60% of global GDP, as well as two percent of global economic growth. -It’s a third part. ,
Resource geopolitics and security were central to the colonial project. The prosperity of the West was largely based on access to the vast resources of the colonized countries. However, while the colonial phase of history has ended, there are still concerns about neo-colonialist policies, whether overt or covert, in relations between developed and developing countries in the Indo-Pacific region.
a widening chasm
Non-Western countries have generally benefited from globalization with increased foreign investment flows, more open markets, participation in supply chains, and export-led growth, even as the gap between rich and poor countries has simultaneously widened. Most importantly, the gap between technology-rich and resource-rich countries has narrowed.
Many developing countries with vast mineral resources do not have the capital and technology to exploit them themselves. Foreign capital and technology are needed to develop them. The gap between what they earn from exporting these raw natural resources and what developed countries earn from processing and value-addition for industrial use is huge.
Critical and emerging technologies, which require a major R&D and industrial base, will remain largely the preserve of the technologically advanced West. They are trying to preserve the progress they already have since the Industrial Revolution in order to maintain their dominance over the global system.
The critical raw materials required for many of these technologies are largely in non-Western countries, although countries like Australia have large quantities of lithium, iron ore, uranium, coal, and natural gas. This is where geopolitics and security matter.
feeding sugar manufacturing
This broader picture has become blurred as a country like China has become the world’s largest manufacturing power and needs access to natural resources to feed its huge industrial machine, for example, to maintain its dominance in green technologies. In addition to critical raw materials, access to other agricultural resources is required. The countries in the region have to provide food to their huge populations along with rising standards of living.
It is notable that after Australia demanded an investigation into the source of the virus that caused COVID-19 in Wuhan and China imposed restrictions on it, iron ore imports were not included in those restrictions.
Apart from geopolitics and security, resource geopolitics is an element of strengthening India-Australia relations. Australia has turned to India to reduce its overdependence on China and India is particularly interested in access to Australia’s natural resources such as uranium and coal.
Indonesia, the largest producer of nickel, is trying to transform itself from an exporter into a major player in the global value chain by banning exports of the raw material.
China’s unprecedented rise has changed the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. It is at the center of geopolitics and security in the region, which is also resource-oriented to some extent. It is claiming exclusive military and economic rights over large parts of the South China Sea.
The idea behind China’s 9 or 10-dash line, which would make the South China Sea a ‘Beijing Lake’, as former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called it, is to change the balance of military power in the region by increasing the reach of its aircraft. Is. and missiles to challenge US military power in the region.
The US has bases, troops, and a large naval presence in the region as part of a military alliance system that includes Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines. It also has the responsibility for the security of Taiwan.
Danger in South China Sea
China wants to strategically control the vital shipping lanes passing through the South China Sea. The region has some of the world’s most dynamic economies, including China, Japan and South Korea, the largest exporters. These countries trade with all geographical regions. According to 2016 estimates, more than 60% of global maritime trade passes through these waters, amounting to $3.29 trillion.
The South China Sea is believed to have abundant oil and natural gas resources – an estimated 11 billion barrels of petroleum and 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in proven and probable reserves. But these are largely in uncontested areas close to the coasts.
Underwater oil has been discovered off the coasts of Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and China. There is already a conflict between China and Vietnam over oil drilling in disputed areas. In the past, China had also opposed ONGC’s drilling in Vietnamese waters, which Beijing claims. ONGC is still working in this area.
For India too, resource geopolitics in the Western Pacific is important. India is planning to increase its investments in the Russian Far-East to get access to its rich resources, be it coal, oil, natural gas etc. The projected Vladivostok-Chennai corridor will pass through these waters. 55% of India’s trade passes through the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca. This underlines the importance of freedom of navigation in the South China Sea for India.
In the context of the opening of the Arctic route, free and unhindered access through these waters further increases their strategic importance.
The South China Sea is rich in marine life. This heavily fished area is the main source of animal protein for this densely populated area. Regional countries want to retain or have rights over these fishing reserves, but China is claiming sovereignty over the continental shelf over countries such as the Philippines and Indonesia, contrary to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). .
Risks in the Indian Ocean Region
In the Indian Ocean, resource geopolitics and security are less important factors than in the western Pacific because there are no disputed maritime territorial claims. However, there are issues regarding illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and intrusion into the countries’ continental shelf, which need to be monitored. For countries like India, the growing Chinese maritime presence has major geopolitical and security implications.
The Indian Ocean has rich marine resources, and the fisheries sector is vital to the economy and livelihoods of the populations of coastal states. The scale of IUU fishing is a major issue in the EEZs of five South West Indian Ocean countries – Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa and Tanzania.
Here too, China has expanded its maritime footprint through its fishing fleet. It is a major state actor responsible for IUU fishing worldwide. Its Distant Water Fishing (DWF) fleet stands out in its size, destructive conduct and geopolitical purpose. For China, its DWF is an instrument of national power. China encourages its fishing companies to start joint ventures and sign bilateral fishing agreements.
According to a report, China has acquired about 75% of the 130 fishing licenses issued by Mozambique. It exploits gaps in the capacity of Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) in the Indian Ocean, which result in overfishing. It is also suspected that its fishing fleets are part of its military surveillance and intelligence networks.
exploitation of marine resources
The countries of the Indian Ocean Rim are facing common serious challenges of over-exploitation of natural marine resources. Fishing in the Indian Ocean increased by 300% from 1950 to 2018, reaching 6.5 million tonnes annually. Most countries in the region have created their own fisheries regulations, but they lack appropriate standards, guidelines, coherent regional arrangements and enforcement mechanisms due to limited data and lack of capacity.
Seabed mining will be part of the global competition for resources and this includes the Indian Ocean. Vast sulphide deposits of nickel, cobalt, iron and manganese, copper, iron, nickel, cobalt, iron, zinc, silver and gold exist in large quantities on the seabed. China is preparing for mining of minerals like nickel, copper, cobalt and manganese on a large scale. These critical materials are required in large quantities to build a green economy. The International Seabed Authority is still figuring out how mining should be regulated, with some environmental groups wanting a complete ban.
Furthermore, the western edge of the Indian Ocean is rich in oil and gas resources. Resource-related geopolitics and security have marked the region for several decades. There remains instability in this region due to hydrocarbon resources. About 40% of the world’s offshore oil production occurs in the Indian Ocean Basin. It contains 16.8% of the world’s proven oil reserves and 27.9% of the proven natural gas reserves. About 80% of India’s crude oil requirement is also imported by sea via the Indian Ocean.
Climate change-induced events, such as extreme weather events and rising ocean temperatures, are likely to adversely impact the reproductive patterns and quality of aquatic life in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Human security challenges are posed by the impacts of climate change such as sea level rise, ocean acidification and extreme weather events. The negative impacts of climate change extend beyond land-based agriculture to also include fishing and aquaculture activities, which are important components of agricultural production in Indo-Pacific countries.
As the population of the Indo-Pacific region grows in the coming decades, its impact on food security and the economy of marine resources will become more important. In the Indo-Pacific, as elsewhere, oceans, seas and coastal areas contribute to food security and poverty alleviation. And yet, the oceans are under serious threat from human activities.
The lack of a regional maritime security architecture has led major powers to compete for control over these resources and sea lanes.
a blue economy
It is important to focus on the ‘Blue Economy’ to preserve the oceans as a source of human security. In the Mauritius Declaration on the Blue Economy in September 2015, the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) recognized the need for urgent action towards better governance structures to preserve the ocean’s resources for future generations. The goal of the blue economy is to achieve sustainable management of marine resources through collaboration across borders and regions through various partnerships. Goal 14 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – Life Below Water – underlines the urgent need to increase cooperation for the conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources.
Meanwhile, island states are concerned about non-traditional security threats from climate change, IUU fishing, piracy and oil spills, which are the biggest security threats in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. These issues are not priority security concerns for the major powers in the region, but this gap is being bridged in the approach to Indo-Pacific security.
India has proposed a cooperative framework to deal with maritime issues in the Indian Ocean. Its objective, as outlined by Indian Prime Minister Modi in 2015 under the banner of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region), is to foster an environment of trust and transparency, respect for international maritime rules and norms by all countries, sensitivity Have to search for. interests of each other, peaceful resolution of maritime issues and enhancement of maritime cooperation.
(Kanwal Sibal was the Foreign Secretary and Ambassador to Türkiye, Egypt, France and Russia and Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington.)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
