The weaponization of shipping channels
Key takeaways
- The crisis around the Strait of Hormuz focused attention on other maritime chokepoints.
- Indonesia's Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa seemed to float the idea at the end of April.
- Nonetheless, the remark raised the specter of maritime traffic being misused for geopolitical leverage, not just in the Strait of Hormuz, but in other waterways, too.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
The crisis around the Strait of Hormuz focused attention on other maritime chokepoints. Experts warn that waterways like the Taiwan Strait or the Strait of Malacca are increasingly being used as geopolitical leverage.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DXRQThe world economy is dependant on a handful of maritime chokepoints Image: Cheng Yiheng/Xinhua/picture alliance Advertisement Could imposing a toll to pass through the Strait of Malacca, the narrow stretch of water that connects the Indian Ocean with the Pacific, be a profitable business? Indonesia's Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa seemed to float the idea at the end of April. "If we split it three ways between Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, that could be quite something, right?" he said.
He later clarified that he was not being entirely serious, after Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono said that his country supported the freedom of navigation and would not be imposing tolls on vessels passing through the strait, which runs between Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.