CHINESE STRING OF PEARLS POLICY AND INDIA'S SECURITY IMPLICATIONS

ABSTRACT

String of Pearls refers to the Chinese intention to establish a network in India Ocean Region (IOR) surrounding India. Each Pearl represents some form of permanent Chinese military installation in a series of locations along a String. Recent development of ports around India, in Gwadar, Hambantota, Sittwe on the Bay of Bengal Coast in Myanmar etc. are seen as part of a string of pearls. Although these are commercial ports, the fear is that these could be easily converted to Naval facilities in case of a conflict in India