India has been asked to join the Malacca Straits Patrol (MSP) framework, and will commence naval operations to patrol the area, which acts as an oceanic gateway to and from the South China Sea, and also links the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean. From an economic and strategic perspective, the Malacca Straits is one of the most important shipping lanes in the world. It serves as the main shipping channel between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, and links major Asian economies such as India, China, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea.
In 2006, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand formed the MSP to provide maritime security to the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. The MSP comprises of the Malacca Straits Sea Patrol (MSSP), the “Eyes-in-the-Sky” (EiS) Combined Maritime Air Patrols, as well as the Intelligence Exchange Group (IEG). The Straits of Malacca is one of eight major oil chokepoints throughout the world, and the MSP was initiated in the wake of an upsurge in pirate attacks on ships in the region in the early 2000s. About 80 percent of China’s crude and oil imports from the Middle East and Africa passes through these straits.