CHENNAI: India will now be one of the key players in United States’ Concentric Triangles strategy in India-Pacific to contain China, according to a US expert.
Delivering a special lecture on maritime safety and security in the Asia Pacific organised by the US Consulate and Chennai Centre for China Studies, resident scholar in American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, Michael Auslin, said on Monday that the US has changed its approach towards the India Pacific with the formation of a ‘Concentric triangle’ which includes India, Japan and Australia.
He said China’s action in the past 18 months to rewrite rules in Asia Pacific has forced the US to go in for a new approach to ensure peace and stability there. The countries will act in a regional manner on issues of common concern, besides having joint policies and joint interaction and greater interaction with civil societies and policymakers, said Auslin.
Besides the Concentric Triangle, the US will also focus on a strategy of an inner-triangle based on geographic location, he said.
These include Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore in the southern China sea.
After WWII, maritime trade in Asia Pacific has grown but now things were changing, he added.
There is a growing uncertainty and insecurity in India pacific linked to territorial disputes in the region, besides the growth of China from Brown Water Navy to Blue Water Navy and access denial from entering into the areas where China considers it is important, he added.
All these issues can also be resolved through multilateral institutions like ASEAN.