Great Nicobar Project:  India’s Power Move Near the Malacca Strait Can Give Headache to China | WION

Added: 2026-05-22

[00:00:08]What if India could control the doorway to China's economy? What if one island hidden deep in the Indian Ocean could change the balance of power in Asia forever? A $10 billion mega project is rising on Great Nikova Island, and China is watching.

[00:00:30]Every year near $3.5 trillion worth of global trade passes through one narrow stretch of water, the straight of Malaka. At its narrowest point, it is just $2.8 kilometers wide. But this isn't just another shipping lane for China. The Straight of Malaka is an economic lifeline. Around 2/3 of Chinese maritime trade passes through these waters and nearly 80% of China's oil imports travel through this single route. If this chalk point is disrupted during a conflict, China's energy supplies could face a massive crisis.

[00:01:16]And that is exactly why India's next move matters.

[00:01:24]Far from mainland India lies great Nicoba Island. And now one of India's most ambitious strategic projects ever conceived is taking shape. Launched in 2021, the great Nicoba development project is not just about infrastructure.

[00:01:44]It is about power projection. India is building a deep water trans shshipment port in Galatia Bay, an international airport, a new township, a massive gas and solar power plant. And the port itself could handle millions of shipping containers every year. But the commercial story is just only half the picture.

[00:02:12]The real significance of great Nicabar is strategic. The island sits close to the northern entrance of the straight of Malaka. From here, India could monitor Chinese commercial ships, naval vessels and even submarines. And the military buildup has already begun. India is expanding. INS bars, it southernmost air station, new radar systems, underwater surveillance networks, advanced naval communication infrastructure.

[00:02:45]A second airfield is also being developed nearby. Taken together, this could transform the Anderman and Nicoba islands into India's forward operating base in the Indo-Pacific.

[00:03:01]For years, China has feared what strategists call the Malaka dilemma. The fear that a rival power could one day block or monitor its critical sea routes. And now, India is positioning itself directly beside China's most important maritime artery. Chinese oil shipments from the Middle East pass close to Indian controlled waters. In a future crisis over Taiwan or the South China Sea, Great Nicobar could become one of the most strategically valuable islands in the world.

[00:03:41]China saw this vulnerability long ago.

[00:03:44]That is why Beijing invested billions across the Indian Ocean. ports in Guadir in Pakistan, Hanto in Sri Lanka and others. Together these are part of China's string of pearls strategy, a network designed to reduce dependence on the Strait of Malaka. But now India may finally have its own counter move.

[00:04:15]This project is not only about military strategy. It is also about transforming India into a maritime trading powerhouse.

[00:04:25]Right now, much of India's cargo still moves through foreign ports, but the great Nicobat trans shshipment hub could change that. The Andermans could emerge as India's new commercial gateway to Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific. And if successful, India would gain influence over some of the busiest trade routes on Earth.

[00:04:52]For decades, India was seen as a passive player in the Indo-Pacific.

[00:04:57]But Greater Nicoba signals something different. A new India. An India willing to project power far into the Indian Ocean. An India positioning itself at the crossroads of global trade and military strategy. And for China, this tiny island may become a very big problem.