As tensions remain high between India and China over the disputed Himalayan border, concerns are growing about possible conflict between the two powers at sea.
India has become increasingly concerned over the past few years over the rise of Chinese naval activity in the Indian Ocean, along with China’s growing influence in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
In an address to the Asia Society Policy Institute recently, former Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said the country had to ‘stay on guard’. He added that while it was important to keep up communication with China, India should ‘seek possibilities of closer convergence with friends and partners in the Indo-Pacific’.
India has worked on cultivating closer ties with the United States, Australia and Japan.
India has also sought to expand the capability of its navy, which it views as a vital guardian of its security and economic lifelines. It has also been suggested that deploying its navy more assertively would add muscle to India’s negotiating position vis-à-vis China.
In June, some twenty Indian soldiers were killed in a skirmish with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley. In the wake of the incident, the country’s Defence Acquisition Council announced that it was approving arms purchases of some $5.55 billion.