Sea Guardian-3 Exercises are taking place at a time when China has significantly expanded its maritime presence in the waters of the Indian Ocean. This also includes the construction of a major base in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa and the sale of several modern platforms to regional navies. Recently China has also given 4 Type-054 A/P frigates to Pakistan Navy.
Commander of the Kingston Naval Base, Rear Admiral Liang Yang and Commander of the Pakistan Fleet, Vice Admiral Muhammad Faisal Abbasi also reached the occasion. Both have described this joint exercise as a symbol of close and strategic relations between the navies.
Type 039 diesel-electric submarine is also included among the Chinese naval ships parked in Karachi. Its exact capability is also hidden in the secrets of the Chinese Navy. The presence of the boat in the waters of the Arabian Sea also shows Beijing’s confidence in being able to deploy naval assets several thousand kilometers away from its home ports.
It is believed that this is the eighth joint military exercise after the Chinese PLAN (People’s Liberation Army Navy) deployed submarines in the Indian Ocean since 2013. China is also known for its nuclear powered fast submarines in the Indian Ocean. These submarines can theoretically remain submerged indefinitely, as they do not need to surface except to load supplies on board. However, it is not clear whether this submarine has also been deployed with the Chinese fleet participating in the joint naval exercise between China and Pakistan.
Sources say that this is an indication of what could be a bigger presence of China in this region in the future. According to sources, “It is not a question of if-but as to when China decides to deploy a carrier battle group in the Indian Ocean region.”
Vessel YANGCHENGHU a suspected PLA NAVY TYPE 926 Submarine Support Vessel, is currently approaching Karachi, it was tracked from China’s Hainan Naval base & is likely en-route to Pakistan for the upcoming China-Pakistan Joint Naval Drills pic.twitter.com/04vJQY4reF
— Damien Symon (@detresfa_) November 8, 2023
In April 2015, the Government of Pakistan reportedly agreed to purchase 8 variants of Type 039 submarines in a deal worth $5 billion. Of these, 4 submarines were to be built by Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works. No submarine has been delivered yet.
Former Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash (retd) told NDTV, “Our planners and decision makers have to clearly acknowledge the fact that China has a keen interest in the Indian Ocean, especially its sea lanes, which are largely China-owned.” “These are major routes for energy, trade, raw materials and finished goods. As a result, China’s naval presence is being seen in the Indian Ocean. China has deployed warships as well as submarines here.”
The former Navy chief further said, “Over the last two decades, China has built substantial maritime bases across the IOR (Indian Ocean Region). It is called the ‘string of pearls’. In fact, it is a series of friendly ports of China, Which are funded by China. The Chinese Navy uses them when needed. In the year 2016, China had prepared its first overseas military base in Djibouti (Africa). China will continue to do so in other countries in the future also.”
The process of tracking Chinese naval assets has been a consistent effort of the Indian Navy. Chinese ships head west to enter Indian Ocean waters through key choke points, the Strait of Malacca, Lombok or the Sunda Strait. Indian Navy’s P-8 maritime reconnaissance aircraft and warships deployed on missions are often deployed to intercept Chinese ships and monitor their movements for long periods of time.
India works closely with the US in monitoring the movement of Chinese warships. The US has often been a major maritime partner of India for real-time intelligence. Last week, 2+2 talks were held in New Delhi between the Foreign and Defense Ministers of the two countries. In this, both sides underlined ‘their strong commitment to the security of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific’. China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative was its basis. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is an ambitious initiative to build two new economic routes connecting China with the rest of the world. China took this initiative in 2013 with the aim of investing in more than 150 countries. Beijing supports this initiative, particularly through a growing strong maritime presence in the Indian Ocean region.
Sri Lanka has been heavily dependent on funding from China for its ports and highways projects. This country has also had to struggle to repay its debt. Same thing happened in the case of deep water Hambantota port. After Sri Lanka developed economically, this port was leased to China for 99 years.
Last year, Yuan Wang 5, a Chinese research ship, docked in Hambantota despite security concerns raised by India. It is reported that this ship was on a mission to monitor Indian missile tests from Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha.
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