EYE ON CHINA, INDIA DEPLOYS 3 WARSHIPS TO SOUTH CHINA SEA

NEW DELHI: With three of its warships now reaching Singapore, India is all set to conduct naval exercises with "friendly" countries in the South China Sea, where a belligerent Beijing is locked in territorial disputes with its neighbours.

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The long-range operational deployment of destroyer INS Delhi, fleet tanker INS Shakti and anti-submarine warfare corvette INS Kiltan to the South China Sea, under Eastern Fleet commander Rear Admiral Rajesh Dhankhar, comes at a time when the Indian Navy is also closely monitoring Chinese satellite and missile tracking ships in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

TOI in end-March had reported that four Chinese "research" or spy vessels were present in the IOR. Apart from tracking ballistic missile tests by India, such dual-use ships map oceanographic and other data useful for navigation and submarine operations of the Chinese Navy. The three Indian warships reached Singapore on Monday to "further strengthen the longstanding friendship and cooperation between the two maritime nations through a series of engagements and activities", Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said.

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"The Indian Navy and Republic of Singapore Navy have had robust relations spanning three decades of cooperation, coordination and collaboration with regular visits, exchange of best practices, and reciprocal training arrangements. The current deployment underscores the strong linkages between them," he added.

With an aggressive China figuring high on their radar screens, India has been steadily upgrading defence ties with ASEAN countries like Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines through regular joint exercises, military exchanges and training programmes.