'We're Keeping An Eye On The Pla Navy'

In December 2008, the PLA navy began its first deployment in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). In the decade since, it has expanded its presence to include a military base in Djibouti, port facilities in Pakistan’s Gwadar and Sri Lanka’s Hambantota, ensuring a permanent presence in India’s backyard. India’s response has been to accelerate naval deployment across the IOR and increase engagement with littoral countries. As another edition of the biennial naval congregation MILAN, held under the aegis of the Indian navy, gets under way on March 6, Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba tells Executive Editor Sandeep Unnithan why the PLA deployments don’t worry him. Nor the boycott of MILAN by Maldives, which has been cosying up to China and has lately been welcoming of a Chinese presence in its territorial waters.

Q: Is the presence of PLA navy ships in the IOR, traditionally India’s backyard, a cause for concern?

A: There is no cause for concern. This is a standard deployment of PLA navy ships—anti-piracy patrols—in the Indian Ocean. The deployment is in keeping with what we’ve observed in the past couple of years; there is no change in terms of ships, submarines or survey vessels. At any time, there are six to eight ships in the Indian Ocean. At any rate, we monitor their presence.

Q: How does MILAN 2018 dovetail into GoI’s Act East policy?