01694nam a22001097a 4500008004100000100001700041245004500058260002100103300003700124520140200161773002101563240515b           ||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d  aRanade, V.S.  aDragon trap spread of the Chinese dragon  aU.S.I. Journal    a156(635), Jan-Mar, 2024: p.54-62  aThe Indian sub-continent is playing a major role in the ‘Pivot to Asia’ and the world’s next battleground i.e. the Indian Ocean. The dragon is spreading to the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) countries and our neighbours. The Chinese offer the Belt and Road Initiative to needy countries that have a singular commonality, are cash-starved and are economically not viable. The spread is Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, IOR regions and all six island nations in the Indian Ocean. The so-called string of pearls has grown into a ‘Dragon Trap’ or a ‘Debt Trap’. The dragon traps with financing the infrastructure projects and infusing cash into the economy with certain dubious terms which are to be executed at a later stage, when the country defaults on debt repayments and then takes control of these projects, often with certain strategic aims behind it. Debt trap diplomacy is the buzzword. The Chinese footprint around India is a cause for concern. The Chinese have ensured their presence in strategically important countries. The Dragon is on the move and playing Wei Qi (Go). The Dragon’s presence is contested by the growing Indian influence. Our foreign policy must reach out to global players and groupings like the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, The Association of Southeast Asian. – Reproduced 


https://www.usiofindia.org/pdf/20240429111058.pdf
  aU.S.I. Journal