As a boy, Narendra Modi sold tea on the streets of India. He came from a very poor family. Narendra would grow up to become the Prime Minister of India. Do you think he knew it back then?

India is the second-biggest country in the world by population. China is the biggest. India and China are neighbors. But you wouldn’t call them friends. Imagine next-door neighbors fighting across a picket fence. “This foot of land is mine!” cries one neighbor. “I assure you,” cries the other, “it belongs to me!” India and China have had border disagreements like that in the past. To make things worse, they both want control of something very important and very big: the Indian Ocean.

Prime Minister Modi is doing whatever he can to gain control of the sea. And it isn’t because he loves whales. Many of Asia’s most important trade routes run through the Indian Ocean. That brings nations like India and China wealth and needed materials like oil. Think of the neighbors on each side of the fence crying, “You blocked my way to work! And the gas station! And the grocery store! How dare you!”

Also, most of the world’s wars happen near the Indian Ocean. If you can control the sea near your country, you can protect your people from foreign warships. It’s kind of like a big yard with a fence around it keeps out a neighbor’s angry dog.

But how do you control an ocean? Prime Minister Modi is trying to make friends with countries in the sea. If these countries become his allies, they may allow Indian ships to pass through the ocean. They may keep India’s enemies away.

The nations of the world long for control of the sea. But no matter what prime ministers do, God has the whole world in His hands. He is really in control!