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Home > Open Access Journals > JSS > Vol. 19 > No. 1 (2026)

 

Author Biography

Sidhyendra Sisodia is a Research Scholar at the Malaviya Centre for Peace Research, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. He is also a UGC-Senior Research Fellow in Political Science. His current research focuses on the regional rivalry between India and China in the Indian Ocean Region through the lens of the security dilemma. He is especially interested in how power asymmetry, strategic uncertainty, and regional dynamics contribute to mistrust and competition between major powers while also shaping the strategic choices of smaller states in the region.

Manoj Kumar Mishra is a Professor & Coordinator at Malaviya Centre for Peace Research, Faculty of Social Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, India. He was awarded the International Fellowships for Linnaeus Palme International Exchange Programme, Sweden, and was the Visiting Faculty at Karlstad University in 2022. He obtained the UPSAM Fellowship at the United Nations Mandated University for Peace, Costa Rica, in 2008-09. Manoj has an International Diploma in Peace Research from the University of Oslo, Norway (2012). He has published books and over a dozen research papers in peer-reviewed national and international journals.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.19.1.2417

Subject Area Keywords

International relations, International security, National security, Peace studies, Security policy, Security studies, Strategy

Abstract

The India-China rivalry, once concentrated on their contested land border, has now spilled decisively into the maritime domain, with both powers competing for influence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Much of the existing literature focuses on Sri Lanka and the Maldives, leaving the Seychelles and Mauritius relatively underexplored. This article addresses that gap by examining how India and China have expanded their engagement with these small island states across security, infrastructure, and political domains. Drawing on defense cooperation, infrastructure projects, and contested basing proposals, it shows that both islands adopt selective hedging, albeit in different forms. Mauritius practices asymmetrical hedging, balancing with India on security while bandwagoning with China for economic gains, whereas the Seychelles follows symmetrical hedging, dividing roles more evenly between the two powers. Domestic politics—sovereignty concerns, environmental pressures, and transparency demands—emerges as the key variable constraining deeper alignment. The article concludes that competition for influence in these island states will intensify, making them critical sites in the evolving India-China rivalry.

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