2024-05-09 20:43:58
Dr. Brahmdeep Alune: The water sector plays a big role in driving global trade. About 90 percent of transportation takes place through the international shipping industry. The sea routes spread around the world are operated under international laws, but now China has increased the challenges before the world by finding intelligence routes. Iran is not currently connected to the global financial and banking system SWIFT and it is not easy for any country to conduct any transaction with Tehran. Nearly a decade ago, former US President Donald Trump had imposed harsh sanctions on Iran due to allegations of efforts to manufacture nuclear weapons, which blacklisted its entire financial system. At the same time, China, defying international laws, is very secretly It is doing business worth billions from Iran through Iran. Due to this, Iran remains economically and strategically strong despite all the global sanctions. Iran has strengthened its long-term cooperation with China on economic, infrastructure and security issues, thereby mitigating the effects of US sanctions. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has clearly said that the Islamic Republic will never forget China’s cooperation amid sanctions. China is cleverly pursuing its strategic agreement with Iran. While talking about respecting global sanctions, it has discovered such secret channels of communication in the sea through which a lot of trade is taking place between the two countries.
China’s sea route extends from western Xinjiang to the Persian Gulf. Iran has announced the opening of a Chinese consulate in Bandar Abbas, its most important commercial and military port, from 2021. The Strait of Hormuz is the only sea route from the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea and is one of the most strategically important choke points in the world. 20 percent of global oil supply passes through the strait, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. The world keeps an eye on Iran for its activities in the Strait of Hormuz. India is located approximately halfway between the Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Malacca.
China-Iran are deceiving the world
China and Iran have not refrained from deceiving the world to serve their business interests. Both these countries chose the unexplored sea route where no one could think of, away from the influence of the network of sophisticated reconnaissance aircraft and information-gathering equipment, troubled by pirates. The trade and intelligence sea route of Iran and China comes under Southeast Asia and many countries in the region have been troubled by China’s bullying. Some countries of Southeast Asia have started avoiding their global responsibilities by getting trapped in China’s debt policy. The names of Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia are coming to the fore among these major countries helping China. There’s an area to the east of Singapore and Malaysia, which historically has always been a place where a lot of tankers come and transfer their cargo to each other.
China is doing trade with Iran through this route. The Straits of Malacca and Singapore are two of the busiest and most important waterways in the world. They connect the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, making them an important trade route for countries in Southeast Asia and beyond. The Strait of Malacca, which separates the Malay Peninsula from the Indonesian island of Sumatra. 80 percent of Iran’s total exports go to China. China is buying 15 lakh barrels of oil from Iran every day. Incidents of piracy are continuously increasing in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. One reason for the increasing trend of piracy incidents in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore is the increasing demand for goods and commodities in the region. With more ships traveling through waterways, pirates have the opportunity to target these ships for their valuable cargo.
Strait of Malacca.
silence on iran
Additionally, the vast and complex network of islands and waterways in the region provides many hiding places for pirates, making it difficult for law enforcement agencies to locate them. The governments of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, which have jurisdiction over the waterways, are working together to increase patrols and share intelligence on pirate activities but have remained silent on trade between China and Iran. The Singapore Straits and the Port of Singapore are busy waterways where a large number of ships of various types transit and call at the port. Therefore, the safety of navigation in the Singapore Strait and Singapore waters is of utmost importance.
Who is providing intelligence to China-Iran?
The channel spread between the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea is called the Singapore Strait. This strait is located between Singapore Island and Riau Island of Indonesia. It includes the Strait of Johor, Keppel Harbor and many small islands. Due to its deep water access to the Port of Singapore, the strait is one of the busiest commercial routes in the world. The countries providing maritime intelligence to China and Iran include Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Maldives. The merchant ships of Iran and China move towards the east via Maldives and after Singapore via Sumatra and Johor Strait of Indonesia, they easily reach the South China Sea. The Strait of Johor is an international strait in Southeast Asia between Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia.
The strait separates the Malaysian state of Johor on the mainland Malay Peninsula to the north from Singapore and its islands to the south. It is connected to the Strait of Malacca in the west and the Singapore Strait in the southeast. Now Hong Kong has become a safe trading center for China in this region. Macau can also become a big business center in the coming time. Singapore, with good harbours, is a hub for ships sailing between Europe and China. It serves as an entrepot or breaking point to Southeast Asia. Where goods are unloaded from larger ships and transported to smaller ships for distribution throughout the Southeast Asian community. Malaysia is located at the intersection of major shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. This gives its ports easy access to markets in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Port Klang is the largest port in Malaysia and one of the busiest ports in the world. It is located on the Strait of Malacca in the state of Selangor, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.
China is trying to capture sea routes
Malaysia is China’s second largest trading partner and largest source of imports in ASEAN. China has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner for many years and has been Malaysia’s main source of investment for many years in a row. Several Chinese Belt and Road Initiative projects are under construction in Malaysia. China became Indonesia’s largest trading partner by exploiting its rich resources. China remains the top major trading partner of Indonesia, serving as the country’s largest export and import market. Indonesia consists of more than 17 thousand islands, making it the largest archipelago in the world, and the two most important maritime trade routes pass through its waters. While most of its domestic and international trade also happens through sea routes. As the largest country in Southeast Asia, Indonesia is at the center of global trade.
India is increasing military cooperation with the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam in East Asia. These countries have a border dispute with China in the South China Sea. At the same time, China is continuously working on the strategy of taking advantage of ancient cultural relations with the countries of Southeast Asia. People of Chinese origin living in different countries and coming under the Malay Peninsula located in Southeast Asia are also making unprecedented contribution in increasing China’s economic ambitions. The Malay Peninsula includes Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Located at the junction between the Indian Ocean and the China Sea, the Malay Peninsula has played an important role in trade between East and West. It is because of its rich history that the Chinese have been connecting it with the Silk Road.
Along with this, China is taking over the sea routes of Southeast Asia on the basis of diplomatic assistance and strategic pressure in the South China Sea. Southeast Asia is located between the Indian Ocean in the west and the Pacific Ocean in the east. Many islands and peninsulas are bordered by various seas, straits and gulfs that help create the complex maritime boundaries of the region. The sea has been an important means of economic prosperity. Waterways have been used as a medium of trade and have given impetus to the development of maritime enterprise. But due to its economic and strategic strategy, China is affecting the sea lines of communication. This policy of Dragon is going to disrupt global trade and security.
The author, Dr. Brahmadweep Alune, is an expert in international affairs.