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India to conduct naval exercises with China
Pallavi Aiyar
The five-day manoeuvres, beginning on April 12, will be held at the Qingdao port
# Trilateral exercises to be conducted with U.S., Japan
# Manoeuvres also planned with the Philippines, Vietnam
Beijing: Less than a year after India and China signed a landmark memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation, the Indian Navy and its Chinese counterpart will conduct a series of naval exercises, starting on April 12. The exercises will take place over five days at the port of Qingdao, the headquarters of the Chinese Navy's North Sea Fleet.
According to a press release issued by the Indian Embassy in Beijing, the naval exchanges "will provide a unique opportunity for understanding drills and procedures followed by the naval ships of the two countries in a cooperative environment."
Indian destroyers INS Rana and INS Ranjit will participate in the exercises. "Maritime lines of communication play a vital role in the security paradigms of the two countries. Naval exchanges are an important step towards creating better understanding in this field," the statement said.
This latest round of exercises is part of a larger series of cooperative endeavours being carried out in East and Southeast Asia. Between March and May, an Indian fleet, comprising five ships (including the two involved in the Chinese leg), will conduct joint exercises with the United States off the coast of Japan in addition to trilateral exercises with the U.S. and Japan. Joint manoeuvres with Russia as well as with the Philippines and Vietnam are also planned.
The exercises reflect the manner in which India is consciously beginning to use its Navy as a diplomatic instrument in its own right.
Indian Ocean policy
The joint manoeuvres with China come at a time when a part of the military establishment in India has voiced unease over Beijing's proactive Indian Ocean policy, which it views as one aimed at encircling India. Pakistan's deep-sea port at Gwadar has been designed and built by the Chinese, and China will enjoy the facilities there.
Beijing has also proposed the construction of a similar port in Myanmar to join a new railroad from Kunming in southern China to the Myanmar coast. In addition, an agreement has been finalised between Sri Lanka, under which China will participate in the development of a port project at Hambantota. At the Pentagon, U.S. naval officials call this planned series of Chinese naval bases "the string of pearls."
The trilateral exercises between the Indian, U.S. and Japanese navies take on an added significance in this scenario, with analysts arguing that these marked the beginning of a new alliance aimed at containing Chinese influence. The Indian Government has sought to play down such speculation, and holds that the naval exercises were not aimed against any particular country. The diverse range of countries included in the ongoing joint exercises is pointed to as proof.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/04/12/stories/2007041204401200.htm
Pallavi Aiyar
The five-day manoeuvres, beginning on April 12, will be held at the Qingdao port
# Trilateral exercises to be conducted with U.S., Japan
# Manoeuvres also planned with the Philippines, Vietnam
Beijing: Less than a year after India and China signed a landmark memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation, the Indian Navy and its Chinese counterpart will conduct a series of naval exercises, starting on April 12. The exercises will take place over five days at the port of Qingdao, the headquarters of the Chinese Navy's North Sea Fleet.
According to a press release issued by the Indian Embassy in Beijing, the naval exchanges "will provide a unique opportunity for understanding drills and procedures followed by the naval ships of the two countries in a cooperative environment."
Indian destroyers INS Rana and INS Ranjit will participate in the exercises. "Maritime lines of communication play a vital role in the security paradigms of the two countries. Naval exchanges are an important step towards creating better understanding in this field," the statement said.
This latest round of exercises is part of a larger series of cooperative endeavours being carried out in East and Southeast Asia. Between March and May, an Indian fleet, comprising five ships (including the two involved in the Chinese leg), will conduct joint exercises with the United States off the coast of Japan in addition to trilateral exercises with the U.S. and Japan. Joint manoeuvres with Russia as well as with the Philippines and Vietnam are also planned.
The exercises reflect the manner in which India is consciously beginning to use its Navy as a diplomatic instrument in its own right.
Indian Ocean policy
The joint manoeuvres with China come at a time when a part of the military establishment in India has voiced unease over Beijing's proactive Indian Ocean policy, which it views as one aimed at encircling India. Pakistan's deep-sea port at Gwadar has been designed and built by the Chinese, and China will enjoy the facilities there.
Beijing has also proposed the construction of a similar port in Myanmar to join a new railroad from Kunming in southern China to the Myanmar coast. In addition, an agreement has been finalised between Sri Lanka, under which China will participate in the development of a port project at Hambantota. At the Pentagon, U.S. naval officials call this planned series of Chinese naval bases "the string of pearls."
The trilateral exercises between the Indian, U.S. and Japanese navies take on an added significance in this scenario, with analysts arguing that these marked the beginning of a new alliance aimed at containing Chinese influence. The Indian Government has sought to play down such speculation, and holds that the naval exercises were not aimed against any particular country. The diverse range of countries included in the ongoing joint exercises is pointed to as proof.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/04/12/stories/2007041204401200.htm
