New Delhi reinforces its Indian Ocean fleet as tension with China continues to rise

The Indian Navy will significantly reinforce and step up its patrols to counter increased Chinese Navy presence in the strategically important Indian Ocean.

Tension between the two nuclear superpowers remains high after China annexed at least 60 square kilometres of Indian territory in Ladakh in May.

The Indian Navy will base additional military personnel and assets, including warships and surveillance aircraft, in the country’s sole tri-service command headquartered on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal.

A strong military presence on the islands is seen as a key bulwark against Beijing, which imports 80 percent of its oil through the nearby Strait of Malacca.

“By strengthening the Andaman and Nicobar Command, India can dominate the choke points overlooking the Malacca Strait through which the bulk of China’s oil imports are routed,” explained a senior Indian Navy source.

A £582 million plan to upgrade its infrastructure at the command centre on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is also being fast-tracked.

“All these deployments are to maintain a strict vigil in the Indian Ocean in the event of any security problems escalating,” said D.K. Sharma, a former Indian Navy Captain.

Earlier this month, the Indian Navy carried out maritime exercises with its U.S. counterparts in the Indian Ocean, with the two nations forming a strategic alliance with Japan and Australia, known as “The Quad”.

A fifth-round of deadlocked talks between India and China over Ladakh will commence later this week.

On Friday, India said an agreement had been reached for “early and complete disengagement” at the Pangong Tso flashpoint but politicians from India’s opposition Congress Party say satellite footage shows new Chinese constructions on land seized from Indian in May.

Troop build-up is continuing on both sides of the border, with a further 30,000 Indian soldiers to deploy along the Line of Actual Control, while New Delhi paraded the long-awaited arrival of five new state-of-the-art Rafale fighter jets yesterday.

The Foreign Ministry in Beijing has reiterated its commitment to “jointly safeguard peace and stability in the border areas” ahead of further talks.