US-CHINA MARITIME COMPETITION IN THE INDIAN OCEAN REGION UNDER THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND OPTIONS FOR PAKISTAN
Islamabad: – The National Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA) organized a Roundtable Conference titled “US-China Maritime Competition in the Indian Ocean Region Under the Trump Administration and Options for Pakistan” to proffer policy guidelines to relevant stakeholders. Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed was the Chief Guest, whereas Vice Admiral Khan Hasham bin Siddique presented the Keynote. Dr. Baber Bilal, Vice President of NIMA welcomed the guests and gave an overview of the conference. Vice Admiral Ahmed Saeed, President of NIMA moderated the session. Maritime experts, diplomats, policymakers, government officials, academia, think tanks and university students actively participated in the discussion.
It was a general consensus that, under the Trump 2.0 administration era, trade wars would take precedence over military confrontation. The Indian Ocean will gain substantial strategic importance because a major portion of global trade passes through this region. The rise of multipolarity will enhance the role of middle powers and regional players. Thus, Pakistan as a major player in IOR will face challenges and opportunities to in-cash its geo-strategic location.
Senator Mushahid highlighted Donald Trump’s 2.0 era as transformative and likely to bring about in-house changes in the U.S. administration approach, prioritizing the ‘USA first’ policy. Vice Admiral Hasham emphasized that Pakistan needs to continue its strategic partnership with China while managing its relations with the US. He highlighted the need to identify strategic options and formulate a policy framework for the Indian Ocean.
Dr. Maria Sultan of SASSI stated that the Trump administration would likely lure into Russia by easing economic sanctions to contain China.
In the end, President NIMA thanked all the participants for their whole hearted participation and reaffirmed NIMA’s commitment to advancing dialogue on maritime and regional security issues.