With respect to the South China sea, maritime territorial disputes and rising tension affirm the need for safeguarding maritime security to ensure freedom of navigation and over flight throughout the region. In this context, discuss the bilateral issues between India and China.

The South China Sea (SCS) has emerged as a major geopolitical flashpoint due to overlapping territorial claims and China’s assertive militarization of the region. For India, the SCS is not a theater for territorial claims, but a vital maritime artery. Over 55% of India’s vital trade passes through the Strait of Malacca and the SCS.

In this context, the maritime tensions in the SCS act as a catalyst, amplifying the structural and strategic bilateral issues between India and China.

India-China Bilateral Issues in the Context of Maritime Security

1. Freedom of Navigation and Overflight (FONOPs): India firmly advocates for a rules-based international maritime order governed by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). China’s unilateral "Nine-Dash Line" and declaration of Air Defense Identification Zones (ADIZ) directly threaten the freedom of navigation and overflight, creating diplomatic friction between New Delhi and Beijing.
2. Economic and Energy Security (The OVL Issue): India’s ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) has been involved in oil and gas exploration in Vietnamese offshore blocks. China consistently objects to India’s presence in these waters, terming it a violation of its sovereignty. India views this as an infringement on its legitimate commercial interests and bilateral ties with Vietnam.
3. Strategic Encirclement and Counter-Encirclement: Beijing views India’s naval modernization, its "Act East Policy," and strategic partnerships with Southeast Asian nations (like Vietnam and the Philippines) as an attempt to contain China. Conversely, India views China’s "String of Pearls" strategy—developing ports in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan (Gwadar)—as a deliberate strategy to encircle India in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

Spillover into Broader Bilateral Tensions

The trust deficit generated in the maritime domain mirrors and exacerbates broader terrestrial and strategic bilateral disputes:

1. The Unresolved Border Dispute: The assertiveness China displays in the SCS is replicated along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Frequent transgressions and infrastructural build-up by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) along the border reflect a unified strategy of "salami-slicing" in both maritime and terrestrial domains.
2. Sovereignty Concerns regarding CPEC: The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), passes through Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). India strongly opposes this as a violation of its territorial sovereignty, further straining bilateral ties.
3. Geopolitical Rivalry and Multilateral Friction: China has consistently used its position to block India’s strategic aspirations. This is evident in China placing technical holds on designating Pakistan-based terrorists at the UN Security Council, and its opposition to India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
4. Asymmetric Trade Relations: Despite high volumes of bilateral trade, the balance is heavily skewed in favor of China. India’s concerns regarding market access for its IT and pharmaceutical sectors in China remain largely unaddressed, adding economic vulnerability to the strategic rivalry.
5. Trans-boundary Water Sharing: As an upper riparian state, China’s construction of run-of-the-river dams on the Brahmaputra (Yarlung Tsangpo) raises concerns in India regarding the weaponization of water and the lack of a formalized institutional mechanism for transparent data sharing.

India’s Strategic Response

To safeguard its maritime security and balance the bilateral relationship, India has adopted a multi-pronged approach:

• Act East Policy: Upgrading relations with ASEAN nations from purely economic ties to strategic and defense partnerships (e.g., BrahMos missile sales to the Philippines, naval exercises with Vietnam).
• Capacity Building in the IOR: Strengthening its own maritime domain awareness through the Information Fusion Centre (IFC-IOR) and developing naval bases in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to secure the Malacca choke point.
• Multilateral Alignments: Active participation in the Quad (India, US, Japan, Australia) to ensure a "free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific" and counter unilateral hegemony.

Conclusion

The bilateral relationship between India and China is characterized by a complex dynamic of cooperation, competition, and conflict. The maritime disputes in the South China Sea highlight a fundamental clash of strategic visions: China’s quest for regional hegemony versus India’s commitment to a multipolar Asia and a rules-based global order. Moving forward, India must continue to build robust internal deterrence and external balancing coalitions while keeping diplomatic channels open to manage the structural friction with China.