| Summary/Abstract |
The future trajectory of Sino-Indian relations shall be determined by the route that China undertakes to gain greater strategic primacy in India’s immediate neighbourhoodmost importantly in and around the Indian Ocean region. With PLA’s naval presence in the Indian Ocean now becoming an almost regular feature, it would only be far-sighted to assume that the growing need to operate far from home shores is the main driver for China’s new operational maritime missions. Establishing berthing rights and a possible forward presence are vital pivots for the constantly improving capabilities of the PLA-Navy. As China’s presence in the Indian Ocean becomes more established, it expectedly could challenge Indian interests in the Indian Ocean, thereby placing the existing Indian deterrence-at-sea under considerable strain.
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