China wants to join Navy initiative on Indian Ocean, MEA says no need

[gpit]

Pranab Dhal Samanta
Posted: Apr 21, 2009 at 0900 hrs IST

New Delhi Pushing for a greater say in the Indian Ocean region, China has sounded out the Indian Navy that it wants to be inducted in some form into the 33-member Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) initiative started by India last year. But the Ministry of External Affairs has turned down the request.

It’s learnt that the Navy conveyed the Chinese interest to the MEA which promptly rebuffed the move, saying there was no justification to involve China in the Indian Ocean.

Sources said Chinese Navy officials had approached their Indian counterparts to explore ways to accommodate Beijing as either an observer or associate member ahead of Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta’s ongoing week-long visit to China.

The Navy, on its part, informed the MEA and asked it to consider the informal request. But given that China’s long-term ambition is to counter Indian influence in the Indian Ocean, the MEA said there was no strategic rationale to let China be associated with IONS as it was strictly restricted to littoral states of the Indian Ocean.

While UK is part of the initiative because its still owns Diego Garcia, the US request too is pending on technical grounds even though it has bases in the region. Admiral Mehta, who is on a visit to China until April 25, was keen that he has an answer when he is in Qingdao for the international fleet review.

It is, however, learnt that India is keen on having a Naval attache posted in Beijing besides the Army attache.

Given that the 1962 memories have still not faded away for the two armies to foster a meaningful relationship, the assessment in New Delhi is that interaction between the two navies could be more productive.

In fact, the Defence Ministry is pushing for some 30 new posts for military officials in various Indian missions across the world. The armed forces are also keen to have an Air attache posted in Beijing. India is said to have already broached the topic with China and will now formally make a proposal.

While explaining this, sources said, the idea to step up interaction between the navies should not be stretched to giving Beijing access to IONS as it does not even meet the basic criteria for any sort of association. It is important to note here that China had rushed ships to Somalia after the Indian Navy moved its ships into the area for anti-piracy patrols.

Gaining access to Indian Ocean has been a long-term strategic objective for China. In pursuing this objective, China started partnering India’s neighbours to build strategic ports like the one in Gwadar, Pakistan. It is also funding the Hambantota port development project in Sri Lanka besides bidding for the Colombo South Port. In this context, New Delhi is keen that while bilateral relations between the two navies ought to be improved, it is still premature to involve China in any multilateral forum on the Indian Ocean.

The IONS currently has 33 members, including India, and was started last year with India hosting the inaugural event. The next symposium is in 2010 and the venue is till to be finalised.

China wants to join Navy initiative on Indian Ocean, MEA says no need - Express India

 

[xukxuk]

this is not a situation need or no need
this is about can be or can not be

 

[Contrarian]

China is not a country bordering the Indian Ocean. There is practically no rationale behind letting them become observers in IONS either except for gladdening their hearts.

 

[notsuperstitious]

China hits out at India's decision on naval symposium

BEIJING: India is suspicious of China’s economic growth, a new newspaper close to the Communist Party of China has said in an editorial. The paper,
Global Times, made the comment while discussing New Delhi’s reported decision to disallow China from attending this year’s Indian Ocean Naval Symposium.

India’s ministry of foreign affairs is simply afraid that China might "intervene" in its sphere of influence in the Indian Ocean, it said. New Delhi’s decision was also prompted by "India’s suspicion of China’s rise", it said.

"Many people in India, the earliest industrialized country in Asia, could not accept China’s rapid rise in the past decades. Their bruised egos made them reluctant to get more intimately acquainted with China," the newspaper said. "A lack of people-to-people exchanges between China and India has also contributed to the estrangement and mutual distrust," it said.

The paper published by the Communist Party organ, the People’s Daily, said the two countries have remained "remote neighbors" because of a border dispute and very little people to people relationship, it said. The year 2008 saw 500,000 personal trips between two nations having a total population of 2.3 billion. The number of trips is one tenth of what took place between China and South Korea, it said.

India’s distrust of China is also related to friendly relations between China and Pakistan, but China’s friendship with Pakistan is not intended to harm India.

"India and China are two Asian giants with increasing economic strength and regional influence. A friendly Sino-Indian relationship depends on efforts by the two countries. Sino-Indian trust demands more civil communication and business cooperation, as well as heightened efforts by government leaders," the paper said four days after it launch.

The paper also compared Sino-South Korea trade volume of $186 billion in 2008 to show that the $50 billion trade between China and India was very small.

 

[godsavetheworld]

China hits out at India's decision on naval symposium

BEIJING: India is suspicious of China’s economic growth, a new newspaper close to the Communist Party of China has said in an editorial. The paper,
Global Times, made the comment while discussing New Delhi’s reported decision to disallow China from attending this year’s Indian Ocean Naval Symposium.

India’s ministry of foreign affairs is simply afraid that China might "intervene" in its sphere of influence in the Indian Ocean, it said. New Delhi’s decision was also prompted by "India’s suspicion of China’s rise", it said.

"Many people in India, the earliest industrialized country in Asia, could not accept China’s rapid rise in the past decades. Their bruised egos made them reluctant to get more intimately acquainted with China," the newspaper said. "A lack of people-to-people exchanges between China and India has also contributed to the estrangement and mutual distrust," it said.

The paper published by the Communist Party organ, the People’s Daily, said the two countries have remained "remote neighbors" because of a border dispute and very little people to people relationship, it said. The year 2008 saw 500,000 personal trips between two nations having a total population of 2.3 billion. The number of trips is one tenth of what took place between China and South Korea, it said.

India’s distrust of China is also related to friendly relations between China and Pakistan, but China’s friendship with Pakistan is not intended to harm India.

"India and China are two Asian giants with increasing economic strength and regional influence. A friendly Sino-Indian relationship depends on efforts by the two countries. Sino-Indian trust demands more civil communication and business cooperation, as well as heightened efforts by government leaders," the paper said four days after it launch.

The paper also compared Sino-South Korea trade volume of $186 billion in 2008 to show that the $50 billion trade between China and India was very small.

Speaks loads about the Communist mentality. Just turn them down, and look how offensive they get.

 

[notsuperstitious]

Speaks loads about the Communist mentality. Just turn them down, and look how offensive they get.

Absolutely. Thats the experience of all their neighbors, except those which they can 'use' or indirectly rule.

 

[IceCold]

Absolutely. Thats the experience of all their neighbors, except those which they can 'use' or indirectly rule.

Spare the sarcasm will you. Is it obvious for you to bring Pakistan into everything? Just tells us how much paranoid your kind really is about Pakistan. Pathetic

 

[yh1]

Just can't help laughing. Wat an Indian mentality!

 

[taiji]

LOL, Indian Ocean is dominated by US navy, not Indian Navy. And Chinese Navy is returning.

 

[spsk]

LOL, Indian Ocean is dominated by US navy, not Indian Navy. And Chinese Navy is returning.

Where do they(US) have their Naval bases in Indian Ocean? Just curiosity to know, because I could see how hard Indian government trying to block US presence in Srilanka. Chinese had any presence in Indian ocean ? Please dont take it wrong , Could you please share any links where China had any presence there in Indian ocean .

 

[paritosh]

LOL, Indian Ocean is dominated by US navy, not Indian Navy. And Chinese Navy is returning.

diego garcia...?
it has been our prime concern from the cold war days...
the naval base at andaman and nicobar is more than an effective counter believe me...if it ever comes to it.
and the chinese navy is returning...to fight the yanks?
i am very sure that the only reason for the chinese interest on our side of the deep-blue is to safe-gaurd their petroleum shipments en route from africa to the mainland...

 

[paritosh]

Where do they(US) have their Naval bases in Indian Ocean? Just curiosity to know, because I could see how hard Indian government trying to block US presence in Srilanka. Chinese had any presence in Indian ocean ? Please dont take it wrong , Could you please share any links where China had any presence there in Indian ocean .

dude....diego garcia...is an island in the indian ocean and a headache for our military strategists...atleast in the cold war days...
andaman and nicobar was militarize as a counter to naval movements from diego garcia
it was handed over to the yanks from the brits...and developed into a naval base...it stations both the yanks and the firangs...

 

[Patriot]

diego garcia...?
it has been our prime concern from the cold war days...
the naval base at andaman and nicobar is more than an effective counter believe me...if it ever comes to it.
and the chinese navy is returning...to fight the yanks?
i am very sure that the only reason for the chinese interest on our side of the deep-blue is to safe-gaurd their petroleum shipments en route from africa to the mainland...

It's a complete Military base.They also have nuclear bombers deployed there with active nukes.

 

[paritosh]

yeah^^
the americans and the brits...operate it...we've always opposed the militarization of the island...

 

[yh1]

India is too weak to claim rights to determine on who is fishing on Indian ocean. Given the experience from the past and the present times China intends to be active on issues of sea passage safety. Believe it or not Indians can't do much about Chinese merchant ships or naval ships cruising on Indian ocean.

As someone puts it it's the US that controls Indian ocean but Indians.