Entry Of Chinese Warships Into Indian Ocean to challenge India A Tickling News
By Colonel Awadhesh Kumar, Veteran Special Forces
Generally Chinese Officials or even their Party controlled News Agencies and tabloids are quite serious in their news reporting. They have never been humorous in their approach specially in reporting on international crisis.
However the recent report by their news portal Sina.com.cn regarding entry of around Eleven Chinese warships into the Indian Ocean, amid a constitutional crisis in the Maldives archipelago, to challenge the India Navy is quite hilarious.
Though out of the 11 ships, three are support tankers and there is one 30000 ton Amphibious Transport Dock Ship and balance are vintage destroyers / Frigates, the news portal has termed it as Fleet.
Probably the news portal wanted to give the impression that the entire ” mighty “ Chinese fleet has entered the India Ocean to sort out any trouble maker.
Though they have been careful about not linking the deployment to the crisis in the Maldives or given any reason for this deployment or even the time frame of this deployment.
The funny part is that the news read “If you look at warships and other equipment, the gap between the Indian and Chinese navy is not large”. So were they talking about the Indian Navy and the Chinese Navy or they were trying to compare their 11rickety boats with the Indian Navy !!!
Earlier even the People’s Liberation Army posted photos and a story on rescue training exercises taking place in the Indian Ocean on its official Twitter.
They even advised Chinese citizens to avoid visiting the Maldives, famous its luxury hotels, scuba-diving resorts and limpid tropical seas, until political tension eased.
The Maldivian President imposed an emergency on Feb. 5 for 15 days to annul a Supreme Court ruling that quashed convictions against nine opposition leaders and ordered his government to free those held in prison. He sought parliamentary approval to extend the emergency for 30 days on Monday.
China is trying to influence Maldives and President Abdulla Yameen readily lapped up Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative to build trade and transport links across Asia and beyond.
China has been striking deals with countries in Asia and Africa in line with its Belt and Road initiative to improve imports of key commodities, upgrade infrastructure and trade routes in the region and boost its diplomatic clout.
However India, which has had longstanding political and security ties to the islands can easily push back China’s expanding presence in this small country of 400,000 people. Maldivian opposition leaders have urged New Delhi to intervene in the crisis.
This area is of vital interest to India and Chinese know very well that that if push comes to shove then they stand no chance against India in the Indian Ocean. This is not some coastal area dispute in the Seas South of Chinese coast against small countries.
China has carried out military buildup in the neighbouring seas South of Chinese coast, where it has built and expanded islands and reefs.
China claims most of the sea where neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims. They dare not replicate such foolhardy tactics in the Indian Ocean……..India’s Ocean
