The recent news headlines have been dominated by Japan’s strategic move in the Indo-Pacific region. Japan, a strategic partner to India, has taken a significant step towards strengthening Maldives security infrastructure, a move with potential implications on the stability in the South Indian Ocean region.
Japan-Maldives Pact under Economic and Social Development Programme
Against this global backdrop, the Government of Japan, under its Economic and Social Development Programme, has inked an agreement with the Maldives. The central aspect of this pact entails a grant aid of 800 million Japanese Yen, which will be extended to the Maldives Coast Guard and the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Center.
Purpose of the Grant Aid
The main objective of this financial assistance is to enhance the capabilities of the Maldives Coast Guard and the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Center, including Sub-Regional Centers and Vessels. This enhancement will come in the form of communications equipment provisions and professional search and rescue dive gear for the Maldives Coast Guard to utilize during operations. This development is not the first instance of Japan generously aiding the Maldives. In October 2019, Japan donated 21 paramedic ambulances to the Maldives health sector.
Benefits of the Japan-Maldives Pact
The primary benefits expected from this pact include combating piracy, countering violent extremism, and curbing narco-trafficking. It aims to ensure a free and open Indian Ocean that would enhance peace and prosperity in the region. The Maldives, an archipelago home to nearly four hundred thousand people, holds geopolitical significance due to its strategic location.
Significance for India: Maldives as a Strategic Location
The island chain of Maldives plays a crucial role as an Indian Ocean “toll gate.” The two critical sea lanes of communication (SLOCs) lie at the southern and northern parts of this chain. These SLOCs are significant conduits for maritime trade flow between the Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Hormuz in West Asia, and the Strait of Malacca in Southeast Asia.
The importance of these SLOCs for India can be gauged from the fact that close to 50% of India’s external trade and around 80% of her energy imports use these westward SLOCs in the Arabian Sea.
Pact with a Quad Member: Strategic Implications
The grant aid pact represents the Maldives’s second major agreement with a member of the ‘Quad’, an unofficial strategic grouping consisting of the USA, Japan, Australia, and India. The Maldives had previously signed defence-related agreements with the USA.
Discussions amongst Quad member countries’ Foreign Ministers in Tokyo last month included strategies to counter Chinese presence and influence in the region, highlighting the geopolitical significance of such pacts.
This development, thus, not only underscores Japan’s support for the Maldives but also carries potential implications on regional security dynamics, including India’s interests in the Indo-Pacific region.
