C Raja Mohan writes | Amid a widening Gulf, the need for a bridge between India and South Korea
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Context
The ongoing regional conflict in the Gulf and threats to maritime transit have exposed Asia's deep reliance on energy flows through the . This vulnerability presents a strategic opportunity for India and South Korea to deepen their bilateral partnership beyond commerce. By championing freedom of navigation and cooperating in maritime security, New Delhi and Seoul can build a robust framework for Asian security.
UPSC Perspectives
Geopolitical
The geopolitical landscape of the Indo-Pacific is shifting as Asian nations recognize the risks of relying solely on US naval primacy for maritime security. The article highlights the strategic importance of the , a critical maritime choke point connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, through which a fifth of globally traded oil passes. With rising tensions involving Iran, there is an urgent need for an intra-Asian security architecture. India and South Korea, both dependent on secure sea lines of communication, have a natural synergy to transition their relationship from purely commercial to deeply strategic. Through information-sharing, logistics agreements, and joint naval deployments, they can act as net security providers in the region. Furthermore, leveraging multilateral platforms like the expanded allows major Asian economies to collectively pressure regional actors to keep international waters open, ensuring a stable multipolar Asia.
Legal
The core legal principle at stake in the Gulf conflict is freedom of navigation, governed globally by the (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea). The article notes Iran's attempt to regulate transit through Hormuz, which directly violates the convention's provisions on transit passage through international straits. Unlike innocent passage in territorial waters where coastal states have more regulatory control, transit passage guarantees that ships of all nations have the unimpeded right of continuous and expeditious transit. For nations like India, China, and Japan, upholding these maritime norms is the bedrock of their economic survival. Asian states must collaboratively reaffirm that managing critical straits, akin to Singapore's role in the , is a shared international responsibility rather than a tool for geopolitical weaponization.
Economic
From an economic standpoint, the crisis underscores the fragility of Asia's energy security, given that nearly 70% of its crude oil imports originate from the Gulf. To mitigate this vulnerability, the article suggests structural diversification and strategic industrial partnerships between India and South Korea. South Korea's global dominance in commercial shipbuilding presents a lucrative opportunity for India to rapidly expand its naval fleet, build LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) carriers, and develop advanced maritime infrastructure. Additionally, both nations can capitalize on the geoeconomic transformation in the Arabian Peninsula by investing in alternative mega-infrastructure projects—such as pipelines, rail, and port networks—designed to bypass the . Collaborating on small modular reactors for nuclear energy further highlights how strategic economic partnerships can effectively decouple Asian economic growth from volatile regional conflicts.