India plans cotton, ancient maritime routes to counter China's ambitions

NEW DELHI: India proposes to counter China's maritime ambitions with a 'Cotton Route' to help forge economic and strategic partnerships with other countries by reviving ancient Indian Ocean pathways through which the fabric was exported to both the east and west.

Mindful of Chinese initiatives launched since 2013 to connect coastal states, including countries in South Asia and India's extended neighbourhood, the Modi government has launched its own strategy to partner with countries with which it shares historical trade and people-to-people links.

Government sources indicated to ET that the idea is to balance China's growing maritime ambitions, especially its security interests and projects that have adverse implications for India's defence.

China's has identified countries including Sri Lanka, the Maldives and even India in the Maritime Silk Road initiative that connects Chinese ports with Africa's eastern coast. Apart from the 'Cotton Route', India plans to launch Project Mausam, a regional initiative to revive its ancient maritime routes and cultural linkages with countries in the extended neighbourhood.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent trips to Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka were aimed at boosting these initiatives.

The ‘Cotton Route,' still in the nascent stages, will reach out farther and wider, official sources hinted. It is aimed at increasing India's economic cooperation and strategic partnerships with countries in the Indian Ocean region. Sources said India's first cotton exports date back to the 1st century CE. There were regular supplies of large quantities of cloth of ordinary quality from Tagara (Ter in Maharashtra).

Evidence of cotton exports is substantiated by archaeological discoveries from sites at the Red Sea ports of Berenike and Myos Hormos. Sources also claimed that cotton was exported to Central Asia via the ancient Silk Road.

"We have to remember that silk was not the only product that moved across the ancient Silk Road. The Chinese consumption of cotton cloth is rarely discussed in surveys of Asian trade. However, what was the Silk Road for Chinese silk was, in the reverse direction, a Cotton Road," pointed out an expert who worked extensively on the subject, justifying the Cotton Road's equal historic importance as Silk Road.