MALACCA STRAIT – GEOGRAPHY
News: Taiwan,
a Malacca blockade and India’s options
What's in the news?
● With
China frequently intimidating Taiwan over the past year through deployment of
its air force and navy in the surrounding areas, there is the oft-posed
question whether India would take action in the Strait of Malacca or the
Andaman Sea in the event of a conflict between the United States and China over
Taiwan.
● Any
speculative action in the Strait of Malacca or the Andaman Sea would involve
either a naval blockade against commercial shipping or China’s key trade and
energy sea lines of communication or military action against Chinese naval
vessels.
Malacca Strait:
● The
Straits of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 580 mi (930 km) in length,
between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular
Malaysia) and the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
● As
the main shipping channel between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean,
it is one of the most important shipping lanes in the world.
● It
is named after the Malacca Sultanate that ruled over the archipelago
between 1400 and 1511, the center of administration of which was located in the
modern-day state of Malacca, Malaysia.
● From
an economic and strategic perspective, the Strait of Malacca is one of the
most important shipping lanes in the world.