Why in the news?

• A well marked cyclonic system developed from a low pressure zone in Strait of Malacca, which is moving towards the Coromandel coast.

Strait of Malacca

• Location: A narrow maritime chokepoint between Malay Peninsula (Malaysia) and Sumatra (Indonesia).
• Connects: It connects the Andaman Sea in the  Indian Ocean to the South China Sea in the Pacific Ocean.
• Strategic Importance:
  • One of the busiest shipping routes in the world, carrying nearly 40% of the global trade.
  • Facilitates the movement of Oil, LNG, Container ships and Raw materials.
  • Nearly 80% of China’s crude oil imports pass through the Strait and 60% of Japan & South Korea’s oil imports transit here.
  • A major fulcrum for ASEAN economies.
  • A critical point in the Indo-Pacific geopolitical rivalry.
• Regional Cooperation Mechanisms:
  • Malacca Strait Patrols (MSP): Joint patrolling by Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.
  • Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy (ReCAAP): Coordinates anti-piracy operations and information-sharing. India is a member of ReCAAP.
  • IMO Involvement: International Maritime Organization (IMO) provides navigational safety guidelines.
• Significance for India:
  • Major route for India’s trade with East and Southeast Asia, including Japan, Australia, China, South Korea, Taiwan.
  • India’s Look East Policy / Act East Policy leverages the Strait for connectivity.
  • India participates in ReCAAP & conducts naval exercises with ASEAN nations.
  • Andaman & Nicobar Command (ANC) provides strategic reach over the western entry of the Strait.
  • China’s vulnerability here is called the “Malacca Dilemma”.

Source: The New Indian Express