TEHRAN: A remote Iranian port could be the next trigger for geopoliticaltensions between rivals China and India.India has pledged more than $500 million to develop the strategicallylocated port of Chabahar — roughly 1,800 kilometers (1,110 miles) from thecapital Tehran — since it first expressed interest in 2003. Yet repeateddelays have prompted Iran to turn to China in the hope of speeding upconstruction.
On a March trip to Islamabad, Iran Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said he’dwelcome Chinese and Pakistani investment in Chabahar.
He cited China’s development of Gwadar, a port down the coast that is ashowcase of President Xi Jinping’s Belt-and-Road infrastructure initiative.
The shift makes sense for Iran, which wants to ensure Chabahar is aneconomic success. But it could be a strategic loss for India, which opposesChina’s expansion in the Indian Ocean and is already worried that Gwadarcould one day be used as a military base — along with other China-backedports from Myanmar to Bangladesh to Sri Lanka.
Any formal investment from Beijing would further weaken the strategicadvantage for New Delhi to invest in Chabahar, which is close to Pakistan’swestern border.
The Gwadar port is part of Xi’s plan to finance $50 billion ininfrastructure investments in Pakistan, and Chinese merchants already havea strong foothold in Chabahar.
China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to an email seekingcomment.
“Delhi would likely take the view that any Chinese presence at Chabahar,even if not involved in the operation of the port, could be used as a wayof undermining India’s influence with local authorities,” said DavidBrewster, a senior research fellow with the Australian NationalUniversity’s National Security College. “It could also be potentially usedto facilitate surveillance of India’s activities.”
While it’s unclear whether China will take up Iran’s offer, the involvementof a cash-rich and expansionist Beijing would almost certainly speed updevelopment of the port.
China has overland train connections linking China to Iran and “huge”investments in the country, said Manoj Joshi, a distinguished fellow at theNew Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation think-tank. “China is muchdeeper there than India.”