The MSRI and the Evolving Naval Balance in the Indian Ocean

Control over access to the Indian Ocean, whether by land or by sea, is often seen through an intensely strategic lens. The Indian Ocean is a relatively closed strategic space that has been dominated by a succession of extra-regional naval powersmost recently the USAwhile land powers such as China have largely been excluded from the region. But Chinas Maritime Silk Road Initiative (MSRI), involving the construction of new maritime pathways to and across the Indian Ocean, will likely alter the naval balance in the Indian Ocean and, perhaps, the entire strategic nature of the region. This chapter considers how Chinas new pathways to the Indian Ocean may fundamentally change Chinas political and economic footprint in the region.