CHINA-INDIA: RETIRED PLA SENIOR COLONEL AND COMMENTATOR SAYS INDIA BETTER GET USED TO CHINESE NAVY STRIKE GROUP’S PRESENCE IN INDIAN OCEAN

PLA Senior Colonel Zhou Bo delivered the keynote address at a seminar co-hosted by King's College and the Indian Centre for Policy Research on September 21-23. He said, "It's only a matter of time before a Chinese carrier strike group appears in the Indian Ocean" and urged India to get used to China's "South Asian presence". He added "It is no secret that India does not want to see China's expanding influence in South Asia. In fact, the bilateral relations between many South Asian countries and China have been interfered with and suppressed by India to varying degrees.' 'India should not interfere with the sovereignty of its South Asian neighbours and force them to take a side between China and India." 'In contrast, China has never thwarted India's "Look East" or "Act East" policy. SE Asia is important to China's geographical environment, but China has never interfered in India's development of its political, economic, and military relations with any Southeast Asian country." 'India always complains about China’s provision of military equipment to Pakistan, but China never complains about Russia’s provision of military equipment to India. In 2017, China accepted India and Pakistan into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization with openness and generosity." "I do not think it's necessary to remind everyone that during the Ming Dynasty, Zheng He's fleet, the most powerful fleet in the world, went to the Indian Ocean seven times." "Therefore, China is not a newcomer to the Indian Ocean. To safeguard China's growing interests in the Indian Ocean and maintain the security of strategic sea lanes, the Chinese navy must maintain or even strengthen its presence in the Indian Ocean. " "It is only a matter of time before a Chinese carrier strike group appears in the Indian Ocean. Since the end of 2008, the Chinese navy has been sending naval formations to patrol the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin in the Indian Ocean. " "In 2017, China established its first overseas military base in Djibouti to safeguard anti-piracy operations. But there is no instance of Chinese military presence in the Indian Ocean causing security damage to India. In fact, the two sides have had fruitful cooperation. " "In May 2011, the Chinese and Indian navies cooperated with NATO to rescue the Chinese merchant vessel Full City, which was hijacked by Somali pirates. In the future, Chinese and Indian naval vessels are bound to meet more frequently in the Indian Ocean." "Friction and even conflict between the two sides is possible if India, with an Akhand Bharat mentality, regards the Indian Ocean as the “Great Ocean for Hindus” or India as a “net security provider” for the Indian Ocean." ii) The South China Morning Post (October 3) separately quoted from Sr. Colonel Zhou Bo's speech and highlighted his observation cautioning India that 'the United States, not China, is the real challenger to India’s rights and interests in the Indian Ocean. It said he called on the Asian neighbours to better manage their differences and stabilise ties. Zhou Bo, a senior fellow at Tsinghua University’s Centre for International Security and Strategy, pointed to last year’s sailing of the USS John Paul Jones guided missile destroyer into waters claimed by India as its exclusive economic zone. Recalling that “The US Navy’s Seventh Fleet issued a written statement saying it did so because the US would challenge India’s ‘excessive maritime claims’, which was met with an Indian backlash,” Zhou Bo said “India’s exclusive economic zone covers one-thirtieth of the Indian Ocean. In other words, the United States’ claim to challenge India means that, at least in the eyes of Americans, a thirtieth of the Indian Ocean is not free and open because of India.” He urged India not to see Beijing as a challenger to its interests in the Indian Ocean, despite the dispute in the Himalayas that “cannot be resolved in the foreseeable future”. He added that India must recognise that China’s naval activities in the Indian Ocean would inevitably become more frequent and “To safeguard China’s growing interests in the Indian Ocean and maintain the security of strategic sea lanes, the Chinese navy must maintain or even strengthen its presence in the Indian Ocean.” “It is only a matter of time before a Chinese carrier strike group appears in the Indian Ocean.”





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