Sittwe Port, located on Myanmar's west coast, is the second largest port India has acquired overseas and is only 700 km from China's southern Tibet region, so it is of great concern.
After years of investment in the port, India has finally won the right to operate it. So why is India so insistent on investing in this port?
How will this move affect China?
Strategically located on a small peninsula west of the mouth of the Kalatan River, Sittwe is the capital city of Rakhine State.
In the 19th century, the British colonized Burma and used Sittwe Port as an important intermediate station on the Kolkata to Yangon route, and it quickly developed into the third largest port in Burma.
Because Sittwe port is located in an important rice producing area of Myanmar, it has also become a key port for rice exports.
India had already signed the Kaladan Multimodal transport project with Myanmar in 2008 with an investment of $484 million.
The project aims to provide India with an alternative route through the port of Sittwe and via the Kalatan River to the China-India border, enabling a direct connection between India's east coast and its northeastern states.
The port of Sittwe therefore plays a key role in this route.
In 2009, India spent $120 million to invest in the construction of Sittwe Port.
By 2018, the port was largely completed. However, the original plan to open the port at the end of March 2023 was postponed to May 2023 due to the internal instability in Myanmar.
It is reported that on April 9 this year, the relevant Indian authorities have approved the proposal of Indian Ports Global Corporation to fully take over the port operations of Sittwe Port.
There are not many ports that India has invested in overseas. Another notable project is the Chabahar port in Iran.
But by contrast, India has full operating rights over Sittwe Port.
Analysts see India's investment in Sittwe as part of the country's "go East" strategy.
Sittwe Port not only provides India with important access to Southeast Asian markets, but also helps to strengthen India's economic ties with Myanmar.
India's construction of the Kalatan River Corridor near Sittwe Port has further improved the accessibility of land transport, which will provide India with a more convenient route to transport supplies to the northeastern states and directly connect to China's southern Tibet region.
South Tibet is a resource-rich region located in the south of Tibet, China.
However, most of the area is now controlled by India, which has been building infrastructure and migrating into the area.
The north-eastern states are strategic areas for India in southern Tibet.
Sittwe port provides important support for India's military deployment in the region.
Although India has high hopes for Sittwe Port, the construction and operation of the port have been affected by the domestic situation in Myanmar.
Less than half a year after the official opening in May last year, Rakhine State saw military clashes between local armed forces and the Myanmar army.
As a result, the operation of the port of Sittwe has been seriously affected. The instability of the situation in Rakhine State has also caused India to exert great pressure on the construction of the project.
If the situation in Rakhine State is unstable for a long time, India's Kaladan multimodal transport project built with Sittwe Port as the fulcrum will face more new threats and challenges.
Kommentare