China’s Air Power and Maritime Strategies Towards the Indian Ocean Region

This book examines China’s naval and airpower strategic direction towards the Indian Ocean region. It discusses China’s military modernization program along with naval and airpower capabilities including expeditionary nature. It analyses China’s attempt to gain a strategic dominance in the IOR by means of investments and trade with the littoral countries, military-diplomatic relationship with friendly countries, permanent presence of naval systems in the Indian Ocean, and delivering ’public goods’ throughout the region. A comparative analysis of People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) expeditionary capabilities and Indian Air Force’s (IAF) deterrence mechanisms is also included.

Print edition not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Bhutan)

Joshy M. Paul worked as Research Fellow at the Centre for Airpower Studies (CAPS), New Delhi, India. He holds eighteen years of research-cum-academic experience on Asian Security, East Asian Affairs, Airpower Dynamics and Maritime Security of the Indo-Pacific. Before joining CAPS, he worked as Assistant Professor at the Department of International Studies, Christ University, Bangalore, and also with a premier naval think tank, National Maritime Foundation, New Delhi. He has been an RSIS-MacArthur Associate Visiting Fellow (Singapore) in 2010, NIDS Visiting Research Fellow (Japan) in 2011, and Salzburg Global Seminar Fellow in 2009, 2015 & 2022.