India, July 15 -- With the Strait of Hormuz under strain, the Malacca Strait has emerged as the world's most strategically significant maritime chokepoint, reshaping Indo-Pacific security, trade and great-power competition

The ship tracker in Kota Kinabalu, where I am - on the eastern edge of Malaysia - shows that 281 ships passed through the Malacca Strait on July 14, compared with 134 ships which used to cross the Strait of Hormuz daily before the blockade. Four countries - Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore - monitor and regulate traffic across the Malacca Strait. Before its twin blockades by the US and Iran, the Strait of Hormuz was free for international passage. Iran has found it can use the choke point as leverage and eve...