What do you understand by ‘The String of Pearls’? How does it impact India? Briefly outline the steps taken by India to counter this.

What the 'String of Pearls' means

The 'String of Pearls', a term popularised by a 2005 US consultancy report ('Energy Futures in Asia'), describes China's network of ports, bases and maritime infrastructure along the sea lanes from the South China Sea to the Horn of Africa, arcing around peninsular India. Key 'pearls' include Gwadar (Pakistan), Hambantota (Sri Lanka, taken on a 99-year lease in 2017), Chittagong (Bangladesh), Kyaukpyu (Myanmar) and China's first overseas military base at Djibouti (2017).

Impact on India

• Strategic encirclement: dual-use commercial ports can support PLA Navy deployments in India's maritime neighbourhood.
• Debt leverage over smaller neighbours — Hambantota being the cautionary case — erodes India's traditional influence in South Asia.
• Vulnerability of sea lanes that carry the bulk of India's energy imports and merchandise trade.
• Surveillance concerns, from Kyaukpyu to reported Chinese-built facilities near the Coco Islands.

India's counter-steps

• The SAGAR doctrine (2015), broadened into MAHASAGAR (2025), positions India as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean.
• A counter-network of access points — Chabahar (10-year operating contract, 2024), Sittwe in Myanmar, Duqm in Oman and Agalega with Mauritius — informally called the 'Necklace of Diamonds'.
• Naval modernisation, the tri-service Andaman and Nicobar Command, and the Information Fusion Centre-IOR (2018) for maritime domain awareness.
• Coalitions: the Quad, expanded Malabar exercises and Mission SAGAR humanitarian outreach that builds regional goodwill.

Conclusion

India's response has matured from anxiety to architecture — combining connectivity investments, naval capability and partnerships to keep the Indian Ocean multipolar, open and secure.