N. B. LEBEDEVA Candidate of Historical Sciences Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Key words: India, China, Asia Pacific, South China Sea, ASEAN, Disputed Territories, Navy India is a major player in the" chess game " in which the United States is trying to build a unified international anti-Chinese front. According to a well-known security expert, American Professor M. T. Clare, author of the acclaimed book "Oil and Blood" published in 2012, the meaning of the Obama administration's strategy is not only and not so much in the fight against terrorism, but in curbing China's economic recovery and limiting its access to the World's oceans and important sea communications. 1. Washington relies on its traditional allies - Japan, South Korea, and Australia-in this game, while taking the Philippines under its wing. THE "BIG GAME" WITH CHINA AND THE UNITED STATES It seems that the United States has a desire to further join Vietnam and Indonesia to this front. Washington assigns a specific role to India, intending to use its geostrategic and political advantages as a mechanism for "containing" China and controlling oil flows to the Middle Kingdom passing through the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea (SCM). Washington benefits from both some of the rough spots in India-China relations and India's growing military capabilities. This country has a strong and quite modern armed forces, the 5th largest fleet in the world, large military bases on the west and east coasts of the country, and a good experience in organizing anti-terrorist struggle.2 The question arises: can the Pentagon carry out its plans alone in an environment where the United States is currently going through hard times? The hope for a quick way out of the economic crisis is questionable, and the international prestige and role of this superpower are weakening. In the changing conditions in the world and in the Asia-Pacific region (APR), the US administration was forced to annou ... Read more