“The geographic positioning of Great Nicobar and INS Baaz grants India a unique strategic advantage: direct proximity to the Strait of Malacca and the Six Degree Channel. This maritime corridor concentrates trade flows, energy shipments, and force movements between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific most notably serving as a critical route for Chinese submarines and naval assets.”
“The dual-use airport, managed through a combined military–civil aviation framework, provides a legitimate platform for continuous operations and rapid reinforcement in emergencies. It enables the construction of an Indian A2/AD envelope in the eastern Indian Ocean, incorporating ISR, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and rapid air response within a space where response time constitutes a decisive strategic variable.”
“From Beijing’s standpoint, India’s move is likely to be perceived as a direct constraint on the Chinese navy’s freedom of manoeuvre into the Indian Ocean and as reinforcement of long-standing Chinese claims regarding maritime ‘encirclement’ by India, the QUAD, and the United States. Accordingly, it may accelerate Chinese investment in alternative routes (both maritime and overland), stand-off capabilities, and more dispersed naval deployments aimed at reducing vulnerability.”