The outbreak of warfare between Israel and Hamas is bringing reminders to Asian economies about their continued reliance on energy imports from the Middle East.
Ukraine war
In 2018, 76% of crude oil travelling through the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman was bound for Asia. Since the outbreak of the Ukraine war, both South Korea and Japan have significantly increased their dependence on Middle Eastern oil amid Western calls to shun Russian supplies. India, by contrast, has been buying more Russian oil, but those supplies have also been transiting through the Middle East.
These realities are turning Asian powers into stakeholders in Middle East security and geopolitics, in turn raising questions around how they can use maritime security mechanisms to protect energy interests in the region.
Japan Self-Defense Forces, meanwhile, continue to operate in the area from a base in Djibouti. It was set up originally in 2010 as the military’s first overseas outpost in order to aid global anti-piracy efforts off Somalia.
Seized vessels
Recent experiences have highlighted developing geoeconomic risks in the area for South Korea. In 2019, two South Korean vessels operating in the Red Sea were seized by Houthi militia from Yemen. They were released after Seoul dispatched a destroyer that it had deployed nearby to the Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy patrols.
A 60-nation maritime exercise in the Persian Gulf in 2022: From a geopolitical viewpoint, there is no better moment for collaborative security efforts in the area. (U.S. Navy via Reuters)
South Korea responded again by dispatching a destroyer to the area — and by releasing $1 billion to Iran. Eight years earlier, an Indian-flagged tanker had been similarly seized by Iran over purported environmental concerns at a time when billions of dollars in payments were held up.
From a geopolitical viewpoint, there is no better moment for countries such as India, Japan and South Korea to collaborate closely on maritime security in the Middle East.
Since then, much has changed in the realm of Asian geopolitics. India, Japan and South Korea today have a heightened sense of distrust regarding China’s growing military and political designs in Asia and beyond.
Trilateral cooperation
In regard to trilateral cooperation with Japan and South Korea, it may make sense for India to take the lead in developing a blueprint for collaboration. The first step could be joint patrols in the Persian Gulf to protect energy security. The notion would be that naval vessels from each nation involved would act to protect shipping from the other two partners. India could also bring Seoul and Tokyo into dialogue with existing regional partners such as Oman. This could potentially allow them concurrent use of Duqm as a base for tactical tri national cooperation.
In the meantime, secure supplies of oil and gas will be crucial for Asian economies like India, Japan and South Korea. Increasingly, they will see a need to take matters into their own hands to secure their critical economic arteries through the Middle East.
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Source: AsiaNikkei
