Sri Lanka, July 22 -- The Indian Ocean Region has historically functioned as the central, beating artery of global commerce, accommodating over one-third of the world's bulk cargo and two-thirds of global seaborne oil shipments. While South Asian states have long viewed their maritime gateways primarily as engines for economic growth, these commercial ports are undergoing a volatile transformation. Driven by the intensifying great-power competition between the United States and China, commercial ports are increasingly functioning as geopolitical pawns in a high-stakes contest for maritime supremacy and supply chain resilience.

Faced with the sprawling infrastructure of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and kinetic threats from an i...