Four warships belonging to the Indian Navy will travel to the South China Sea, in an attempt to diffuse the recent tensions between India and China over the former’s attempt to indulge in oil and natural gas exploration in the disputed region. According to the Indian sources, the four warships will make a friendly voyage from the Indian port city of Visakhapatnam to the Southern Chinese port of Shanghai. The ships will pass through a number of friendly nations such as the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore before reaching Shanghai.
According to the defense sources the Indian warships will grant the Chinese coastal city of Shanghai the honor of their “port of call”. This will reciprocate the favor shown by the Chinese warship Zheng He, which will be reaching the South West Indian port city of Cochin by May 9 and granting the port its port-of-call status. The Chinese vessel is on its way to a global voyage, and has already covered the port of Saigon (Vietnam) and Port Klang (Malaysia). Besides the Asian nations such as Malaysia and India, the Chinese vessel will also be visiting nations such as Italy, Ecuador and Spain.
In a press statement, the Indian Navy stated that the fleet consists of one Rajput-class destroyer, a Shivalik-class frigate, a Kora class missile corvet and a fleet tanker. After docking at Shanghai, the vessels will move towards Japan. The navy sources hinted that the deployment is likely to last somewhere around two months.
The situation remains tense in and around the South China Sea, especially due to the China-Philippines border dispute. Both the nations are claiming the small rocky islet group of Scarborough shoal. Meanwhile, China has warned other nations to stay out of what it calls its “internal matters”. Recently, INS Airavat, the Indian Navy’s Shardul class warship was warned by the Chinese authorities to stay out of the South China Sea, after it roamed around the disputed region.
Although China is not that much comfortable with India’s attempt to indulge itself in the South China Sea, both the nations are working hard to avoid any future conflict over the region. Just a few weeks ago, both the sides signed an agreement meant for greater co-operation, to weaken the piracy in and around the Gulf of Aden.
According to the defense sources the Indian warships will grant the Chinese coastal city of Shanghai the honor of their “port of call”. This will reciprocate the favor shown by the Chinese warship Zheng He, which will be reaching the South West Indian port city of Cochin by May 9 and granting the port its port-of-call status. The Chinese vessel is on its way to a global voyage, and has already covered the port of Saigon (Vietnam) and Port Klang (Malaysia). Besides the Asian nations such as Malaysia and India, the Chinese vessel will also be visiting nations such as Italy, Ecuador and Spain.
In a press statement, the Indian Navy stated that the fleet consists of one Rajput-class destroyer, a Shivalik-class frigate, a Kora class missile corvet and a fleet tanker. After docking at Shanghai, the vessels will move towards Japan. The navy sources hinted that the deployment is likely to last somewhere around two months.
The situation remains tense in and around the South China Sea, especially due to the China-Philippines border dispute. Both the nations are claiming the small rocky islet group of Scarborough shoal. Meanwhile, China has warned other nations to stay out of what it calls its “internal matters”. Recently, INS Airavat, the Indian Navy’s Shardul class warship was warned by the Chinese authorities to stay out of the South China Sea, after it roamed around the disputed region.
Although China is not that much comfortable with India’s attempt to indulge itself in the South China Sea, both the nations are working hard to avoid any future conflict over the region. Just a few weeks ago, both the sides signed an agreement meant for greater co-operation, to weaken the piracy in and around the Gulf of Aden.
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