01915nam a22001577a 4500999001900000008004100019100002400060245004500084260002100129300003700150520140200187773002101589906002801610942000701638952011201645 c526188d526188240515b ||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d aRanade, V.S.952374 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  aINTERNATIONAL RELATIONS cAR 00102ddc40709401260aIIPAbIIPAd2024-05-15h156(635), Jan-Mar, 2024: p.54-62pAR131937r2024-05-15yAR