How Is India's Access to Oman's Duqm Port Linked to China's Maritime Schemes?

Oman's Duqm Port has become a key part of India's attempts to prevent China from enlarging its 'string of pearls.'

Oman's top defence official met Rajnath Singh to discuss new avenues of military cooperation. 

(Photo: Namita Chauhan/The Quint)

Oman's top defence official Mohammed Nasser Al Zaabi is on a four-day visit to India.

He is co-chairing the 10th meeting of the Joint Military Cooperation Committee (JMMC) with Ajay Kumar, the Defence Secretary of India, The Hindu reported.

He also met India's defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday, 1 February, after which the defence ministry issued a statement regarding new avenues of cooperation.

"During the meeting, the two sides reviewed the progress made in military-to-military engagements, including joint exercises, industry cooperation and various ongoing infrastructure projects. It was decided to identify new avenues and examine areas of mutual interest for joint venture in order to enhance defence industry cooperation."

Defence Ministry, India

The ninth edition of the JMMC was held in Oman three years ago, and the current one consists of high-ranking naval and air force chiefs from both countries.

Indo-Omani relations have been extremely tight. In fact, Oman is India's closest gulf partner.

The two countries in 2018 came to an agreement that gave India access to the strategically important Port of Duqm for military use and logistical support.

It is important because it will allow India to step up its game against China, a country with which it is competing for influence in the Indian Ocean.

In this explainer, we look at India-Oman relations in the past few years and try to understand the significance of Duqm in the context of Chinese expansionism.

India-Oman Relations

India's ties with Oman go way back to 1955 when an Indian consulate was opened in Muscat, the country's port capital.

In 1960, the consulate became a consulate general (to actively assist Indians in Oman), and finally, an embassy was established in 1971.

Oman established its embassy in New Delhi in 1972.

There are more than 6 lakh Indians residing in Oman, the majority of whom are professional workers like doctors, engineers, and teachers among others.

Additionally, it is the only Gulf country with which the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, and the Indian Force, are engaged in regular bilateral exercises.

Sultan Qaboos, who reigned as the Sultan of Oman for 50 years, ensured warm relations with every Indian government that came to power during his tenure.

In fact, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Oman in 2018, he met the Sultan Qaboos and even had a special dinner with him at the Royal Palace, The Indian Express reported.

The Modi government had announced one day of national mourning on 13 January 2020 to honour the sultan after he had died three days before on 10 January.

In March 2021, the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2019 was awarded to the sultan for being the "architect of the special ties between India and Oman," as quoted by Press Information Bureau (PIB).

Modi remembered him as "a true friend of India and provided strong leadership for developing a strategic partnership between India and Oman," the PIB statement added.

Duqm Port's Strategic Importance

India gained access to the port of Duqm in 2018 after Modi's fruitful talks with the Omani government.

Let's look at the map for a better understanding of the port's importance.

(Map Courtesy: globalsecurity.org)

The Port of Duqm overlooks the Gulf of Oman, the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Sea.

This means that India's access to it will make it a key component of its maritime strategy concerning the Indian Ocean, where it is competing with China.

Being located to the north-west of the Indian Ocean, the port can provide to India an easy access to the Red Sea as well, via the Gulf of Aden.

There is, however, more to the port than just its location.

When PM Modi had visited Muscat in 2018, eight agreements had been signed between the two governments.

One of these was between the defence ministries of the two nations, that gave Indian military vessels access to the port for dry-dock maintenance.

The port is also important for the purposes of business and investment.

The Port of Duqm Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is the location of an Indo-Omani joint venture, consisting of investment worth $1.2 billion to establish the largest sebacic acid plant in the Middle East.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in 2017 by the Duqm Development Company with Adani Ports & SEZ Limited in New Delhi to explore better investment opportunities in the Duqm SEZ, the Times of Oman reported.

Additionally, an attack submarine and two long-range maritime patrol aircrafts have also been deployed at the port, according to The Indian Express.

All these measures have been necessary due to rising Chinese activities in the region.

So, what exactly is China doing?

Curtailing China

The main concern regarding China's maritime activities is what is known as the "string of pearls."

The phrase refers to China expanding its influence in the Indian Ocean by installing civilian and military infrastructure at certain islands or ports (pearls) that surround India.

These Chinese military bases at ports and islands are giving Indian the perception of being encircled.

For instance, China reportedly has naval base near the Strait of Malacca, which is not too far from the Nicobar Islands.

The two most crucial pearls, however, are Chinese bases in Djibouti (overlooking the Gulf of Aden) and the port facility at Gwadar, Pakistan (overlooking the Arabian Sea)

Investments have also been made in Maldives, Sri Lanka (Hambantota International Port), and Myanmar as a part of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Oman officially joined the BRI in 2018 and became China’s first base station in the Gulf.

The Port of Duqm has an important role in the BRI. After all, it connects Asia to Africa and Europe.

It is, therefore, no surprise that in 2016, Chinese companies started to invest more than $10 billion dollars in Duqm, according to a 2017 Reuters report.

That was then about half of Oman's foreign direct investment.

Additionally, a chunk of the Duqm SEZ is financially supported by Chinese capital from a China-Oman Industrial park in the area.

China's presence in the Middle East goes beyond its investments in Duqm.

Two months ago, United States (US) intel uncovered proof of construction work of a secret Chinese military facility in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), The Guardian reported.

It was stopped after the US protested against the facility's construction.

Nevertheless, Chinese activities in the region are on the rise.

China has increased trade and improved relations with countries like Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE to an extent that the former is using these Middle Eastern countries for its own strategic purposes.

Therefore, to conclude, India's relations with Oman, and its access to the Port of Duqm is by no means a small aspect of the Indian maritime policy.

To deter or match Chinese activities in the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean, India needs its own access to strategic ports.

Duqm is one such port, and to utilise it to prevent further pearls in China's string would serve India well in keeping a check on Chinese maritime expansionism.

(With inputs from The Hindu, The Indian Express, The Times of Oman, The Guardian, Reuters, and PIB.)