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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Iran hit neighboring Pakistan with missiles and drones on Tuesday.</li><li>It came as the two countries reportedly hosted a joint naval exercise in the Persian Gulf.</li></ul>Iran's <a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-iraq-militant-bases-attack-05c7530d66fb05dd6f2868527003ba2d">missile and drone attack on neighboring Pakistan</a> earlier this week came as the two countries reportedly held a joint naval exercise in the Persian Gulf.Iran was quick to claim that Pakistani citizens were not targeted in the attack, with its foreign minister, <a target="_blank" href="https://en.irna.ir/news/85357634/No-Pakistani-national-target-of-Iran-airstrikes-Amirabdollahian">Hossein Amirabdollahian</a>, saying during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday that Iran had targeted "Iranian terrorists present on Pakistani soil.""We targeted Jaish al-Adl, not Pakistani citizens," Amirabdollahian said, per the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Iran's state news agency."We respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan, but we won't allow Iran's security to be compromised," he added.Pakistan warned of "serious consequences" for the strikes, which it said killed two children and injured three others.While Iran was attacking Pakistan from the air, the two nations held joint military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf.The IRNA <a target="_blank" href="https://en.irna.ir/news/85356614/Navies-of-Iran-Pakistan-hold-joint-military-exercise">reported</a> on Tuesday that officers from the Iranian Navy had carried out tactical maneuvers and communications practice with the Pakistani Navy.The report said that both nations had deployed missile launchers and warships for the exercise.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/twin-blasts-iranian-memorial-for-soleimani-killed-over-90-people?r=US&amp;IR=T">Iran also hit Iraq and Syria with a series of airstrikes</a> earlier this week as the conflicts in the Middle East continue to escalate.The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had targeted an "Israeli spy base" in Iraq and ISIS positions in Syria, per the <a target="_blank" href="https://en.irna.ir/news/85356514/IRGC-discloses-details-about-anti-terror-missile-strikes">IRNA</a>.Responding to the news, Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammadreza Ashtiani <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://en.irna.ir/news/85357204/Iran-has-no-limit-in-defending-its-security-Defense-minister">told reporters</a> on Wednesday that Iran would not be limited in its defense of the Islamic republic."It doesn't matter to us. We will react from any area that threatens Iran," said the minister.

Iran struck Pakistan with missiles and drones as the 2 countries held a joint naval exercise      

Today is celebrated as the <keyword id="3160165" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Navy-Day">Indian Navy day</keyword>. This day is meant to commemorate the glorious achievements of the naval force of the country. Among the most potent maritime forces, the <keyword id="6355100" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Indian-Navy">Indian Navy</keyword> has a unique reputation. It may be the 5th largest force in the world in sea; it is certainly the most lethal force in the <keyword id="12350" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Ocean">Indian Ocean</keyword>. 
 
Here's the thrilling story of the great Indian navy.

Indian Navy annihilated Pakistani Naval Base in 1971. Here's how the operation was conducted

REUTERS/China DailyChinese People's Liberation Army Navy recruits during a parade at the end of a semester at a military base of the North Sea Fleet, in Qingdao, Shandong province, December 5, 2013.China is nearing completion of a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-base-in-djibouti-near-camp-lemmonnier-africa-us-concern-2017-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">"logistical support" facility</a> in the East African country of Djibouti, and Beijing may soon look to establish similar facilities around the world, according to a new Pentagon report.China started building the Djibouti base in early 2016, constructing it near Camp Lemonnier, a US special-operations outpost.The Chinese Foreign Ministry <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-base-in-djibouti-near-camp-lemmonnier-africa-us-concern-2017-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a> the base, located near one of the world's busiest shipping channels, would allow the country's military to "better fulfill escort missions and make new contributions to regional peace and stability." Beijing has also said the Djibouti base could help it extend its anti-piracy efforts, which it has undertaken off the coast of Somalia <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-china-military-in-talks-for-logistics-facilities-in--djibouti-2015-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">since 2008</a>.The Pentagon said the facility, likely to be completed in the next year, would allow China to further participate in UN peacekeeping operations and provide humanitarian aid. But US military officials have expressed concern about it."You would have to characterize it as a military base," Marine Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, chief of US Africa Command, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-base-in-djibouti-near-camp-lemmonnier-africa-us-concern-2017-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said in March</a>. "It's a first for them. They've never had an overseas base."Google MapsCamp Lemonnier, a US military base in Djibouti, is strategically located between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula."We've never had a base of, let's just say a peer competitor, as close as this one happens to be," Waldhauser said. "So there's a lot of learning going on, a lot of growing going on."According to the Pentagon <a href="https://www.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/2017_China_Military_Power_Report.PDF" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">report</a>, issued this week, the Djibouti base, "along with regular naval vessel visits to foreign ports, both reflects and amplifies China's growing influence, extending the reach of its armed forces," and it may be the first of many such overseas bases."China most likely will seek to establish additional military bases in countries with which it has a longstanding friendly relationship and similar strategic interests, such as Pakistan, and in which there is a precedent for hosting foreign militaries," the report says.Thomson ReutersA member of Pakistani navy at the Gwadar port in Pakistan's Balochistan province, April 12, 2016.China is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-chinese-ship-opens-new-trade-route-via-pakistani-port-2016-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">already heavily involved</a> in the Pakistan port of Gwadar and is building a network of roads and power plants under a project known as China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.Intelligence and logistics support remains an issue for Beijing, especially in the Indian Ocean.As such, China's People's Liberation Navy is looking to establish more hubs "to be able to operate across the greater Asia-Pacific region in high-intensity actions over a period of several months," the Pentagon report states, adding:Beijing, for its part, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-china-slams-pentagon-report-on-overseas-military-bases-2017-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dismissed the report</a>, which also said China spent $180 billion on defense in 2016 - more than the $140 billion officially allotted for defense."We have noted the report released by the US which made irresponsible remarks about China's national defence development in disregard of the facts," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-china-slams-pentagon-report-on-overseas-military-bases-2017-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a>, according to AFP. Hua declined to comment on "speculation" but said the "friendly cooperation (between China and Pakistan) does not target any third party."ReutersChinese submarines and warships during an international fleet review to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army Navy in Qingdao, Shandong province, on April 23, 2009.Beijing has tried to sooth regional and global concerns about expansionism, saying multiple times that it is not seeking American-style "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-china-launches-charm-offensive-for-first-overseas-naval-base-2016-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">hegemony</a>" through military bases.A Western diplomat <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-china-launches-charm-offensive-for-first-overseas-naval-base-2016-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told Reuters</a> in March 2016 that China was framing the Djibouti base as part of its "one road, one belt" economic initiative, seeking to help link Ethiopia to the sea and further open trade corridors for Chinese goods and services."China does not want to be seen as a threat," the diplomat <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-china-launches-charm-offensive-for-first-overseas-naval-base-2016-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a>.Faisal Mahmood/ReutersA banner with Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain, left,, China's President Xi Jinping, center, and Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, ahead of Xi's visit to Islamabad, on April 19, 2015.But around the same time, China itself suggested that more bases like the one in Djibouti could be in the offing."We are willing to, in accordance with objective needs, responding to the wishes of host nations and in regions where China's interests are concentrated, try out the construction of some infrastructure facilities and support abilities," Foreign Minister <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-china-hints-more-bases-on-way-after-djibouti-2016-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wang Yi said</a> in March 2016.Washington is not the only power that has expressed dismay about the Djibouti base and other activity in the region.In India, the construction of the base added to concern Beijing was extending its "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-china-launches-charm-offensive-for-first-overseas-naval-base-2016-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">string of pearls</a>," referring to its military assets and partnerships in the Indian Ocean and Asia-Pacific region.The Djibouti facility <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-china-launches-charm-offensive-for-first-overseas-naval-base-2016-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">is seen by New Delhi</a> as a base for Chinese naval air assets, which could facilitate surveillance activity over the Persian Gulf and Indian's western territories. (India has also objected to China's planned shipping network with Pakistan, saying it cuts through disputed parts of Kashmir.)"If I were Indian I would be very worried about what China is up to in Djibouti," a Western diplomat briefed on Chinese plans <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-china-launches-charm-offensive-for-first-overseas-naval-base-2016-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a> in March 2016.REUTERS/Jim BourgIndian sailors watch military vehicles pass during India's Republic Day parade in New Delhi, January 26, 2015.India has tracked seven Chinese submarines entering the Indian Ocean since the end of 2013, regarding them warily. "The pretext is anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden," a Indian defense source <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-closely-tracking-chinese-submarine-which-is-likely-to-head-for-karachi-after-colombo-snub/articleshow/58649191.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told The Times of India</a> in May. "But what role can submarines play against pirates and their dhows?"More recently, India <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-india-wont-include-australia-in-naval-drills-fears-china-backlash-2017-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">declined an Australian request</a> to take part in Indian Ocean naval exercises, reportedly out of fear of antagonizing Beijing. (Though Delhi <a href="http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/06/05/its-not-china-its-you-india-seems-to-tell-spurned-aussies-malabar-australia-navy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">may also have doubts</a> about Canberra's reliability.)Australia and India, along with countries like Vietnam and Japan, have <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/unsure-of-the-future-of-us-leadership-asian-countries-consider-alliances-to-counter-china-2017-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">considered informal alliances</a> to bolster regional security in light of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-china-concerns-spark-australia-spy-law-review-2017-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">growing Chinese influence</a> and doubts about US commitment under President Donald Trump.Those moves have not escaped notice in Beijing, which called them a sign of a lingering Cold War mindset, <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/china-cautions-india-others-against-any-informal-alliance/articleshow/59018656.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according</a> to Hua, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman. "Some people approach and handle the country to country relations with zero sum opinion," she said. <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/most-advanced-missile-system-operational-south-korea-united-states-thaad-china-russia-military-2017-5">The US's most advanced missile system is operational in South Korea - and it has China and Russia alarmed</a></h3> Please enable Javascript to watch this video

The US military is worried about China building overseas bases right next to their own

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Two fighter jets landed on and took off from India's new aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, this month.</li><li>The jets that landed on Vikrant may not be the jets that India uses on its carriers in the future.</li></ul>On February 6, the Indian Navy <a href="https://indiannavy.nic.in/content/maiden-landing-lca-navy-and-mig-29k-fighter-aircraft-onboard-ins-vikrant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that fixed-wing aircraft had successfully landed on and taken off from India's first domestically built aircraft carrier, <a href="https://www.naval-technology.com/features/ins-vikrant-a-profile-of-indias-newest-aircraft-carrier/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">INS Vikrant</a>.The jets involved were the naval variant of the Indian-made <a href="https://www.hotcars.com/underrated-hal-tejas-elevates-indian-air-force/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tejas</a> fighter, referred to as "LCA Navy" for "Light Combat Aircraft Navy" in the <a href="https://twitter.com/indiannavy/status/1622585639664484352" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announcement</a>, followed by a Russian-designed <a href="https://twitter.com/indiannavy/status/1622594390945587201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1622594390945587201%7Ctwgr%5Ef439a694d93f6794ba5cd34d33c25d14cb5d70bf%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aviacionline.com%2F2023%2F02%2Fnaval-tejas-and-mig-29k-tested-aboard-ins-vikrant-indias-new-aircraft-carrier%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MiG-29K</a>. Each jet landed using the carrier's arresting cable and then launched from the carrier's ski-jump ramp.The operations were the latest milestone in New Delhi's "Atmanirbhar Bharat," or "self-reliant India," initiative, which is meant to increase domestic production of military hardware.Adm. R. Hari Kumar, India's Chief of Naval Staff, said in a statement that the operations marked "a momentous step forward towards the realization of our collective vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat" and heralded the integration of the MiG-29K into the carrier's inventory.Vikrant's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-new-chinese-and-indian-aircraft-carriers-compare-2022-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">introduction</a> and its first jet operations come at an important time for the Indian Navy, which is seeking to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/after-himalayan-clash-india-prepares-navy-to-take-on-china-2021-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increase its strength</a> to counter the growing threat from China.<h2>Indian carriers</h2><div type="image" title="India navy aircraft carrier INS Vikrant Tejas fighter jet" height="559" width="840" msid="98192314" hostid="261"></div>Though Vikrant is India's first domestically built carrier, it is actually <a href="https://pib.gov.in/FeaturesDeatils.aspx?NoteId=151135&amp;ModuleId%20=%202" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the fourth</a> to enter service with the Indian Navy. The first two, INS Vikrant (namesake of the current Vikrant) and INS Viraat, were both former British carriers in service with India from 1961 to 1997 and 1987 to 2017, respectively.The third carrier, <a href="https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/ins-vikramaditya-aircraft-carrier/#:~:text=The%20ship%20also%20employs%20six,to%2045%20days%20at%20sea." target="_blank" rel="noopener">INS Vikramaditya</a>, is a modified Kiev-class carrier India <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/india-wont-even-think-about-buying-russian-aircraft-carrier-again-196265" target="_blank" rel="noopener">purchased</a> from Russia in 2004. Commissioned in 2013, Vikramaditya brought with it the <a href="https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/mig-29k-carrier-based-multirole-fighter-aircraft/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MiG-29K</a>, the carrier version of the famed MiG-29 fighter jet. The Indian Navy previously used the venerable <a href="http://www.military-today.com/aircraft/bae_sea_harrier.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sea Harrier</a>.At about 930 feet long, Vikramaditya displaces about 44,000 tons and can carry 36 aircraft, mainly MiG-29Ks and a combination of <a href="http://www.military-today.com/helicopters/kamov_ka31.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ka-31</a>, <a href="https://weaponsystems.net/system/1288-Kamov%20Ka-27PL" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ka-28</a>, and <a href="http://www.military-today.com/helicopters/dhruv.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HAL Dhruv</a> helicopters. It has a crew of 1,600, a top speed of 28 knots, and a range of about 7,000 nautical miles.Vikrant, meanwhile, measures about 860 feet in length, displaces around 43,000 tons, and can carry 30 aircraft. It has a crew of 1,500, a top speed of 28 knots, and a range of 7,500 nautical miles.<div type="image" title="India navy aircraft carrier INS Vikrant MiG-29K fighter jet" height="559" width="840" msid="98192315" hostid="261"></div>Both carriers use a short takeoff but arrested recovery, or STOBAR, system that launches aircraft off a ski-jump ramp rather than from deck-mounted catapults.INS Vikrant is expected to be ready for operations by the end of this year and INS Vikramaditya is expected to return this spring after an extensive 15-month refit. The newer carrier <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/aircraft-carrier-ins-vikramaditya-is-back-on-high-seas-101676775908275.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">will reportedly</a> be based on India's East Coast and the older carrier on the West Coast.India's carriers have been extremely valuable for projecting power in the Indian Ocean, where New Delhi has long regarded itself as the most influential actor.Vikrant aided the annexation of Goa from Portugal in 1961 by deterring foreign intervention and was vital to the naval blockade of Bangladesh (then called East Pakistan) during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War. Viraat supported India's peacekeeping efforts in Sri Lanka and <a href="https://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/041219/operation-talwar-how-the-navy-silently-contributed-to-kargil-win.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">threatened to blockade</a> Pakistan during the 1999 Kargil War.<div type="image" title="INS Vikramaditya" height="826" width="1240" msid="98192319" hostid="261"></div>In recent years, Indian concerns have focused on China's increasing presence and activity in the Indian Ocean. China has deployed surface ships to conduct anti-piracy <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-navy-growth-and-search-for-overseas-bases-worries-us-2022-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">patrols off the Horn of Africa</a> since 2008, and a Chinese submarine visit to Sri Lanka in 2014 <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-china-border-clashes-could-cause-more-indian-ocean-activity-2020-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raised alarm in India</a>.Since then, Beijing has set up <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-chinese-troops-coexist-and-cooperate-in-djibouti-general-says-2022-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a naval base in Djibouti</a> and pursued port projects — which are <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-military-worried-about-chinese-activity-near-maritime-chokepoints-2022-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seen as avenues to advance</a> Chinese economic, diplomatic, and potentially military influence — around the region, including a 99-year lease in Hambantota, a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/indias-concern-with-beijing-expansion-grows-with-sri-lanka-port-deal-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strategically located port</a> in southern Sri Lanka where India has <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/chinese-military-survey-ship-docks-sri-lanka-port-2022-08-16/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">longstanding concern</a> about Chinese military activity. A <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/chinese-military-survey-ship-docks-sri-lanka-port-2022-08-16/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">port call</a> in Hambantota last year by a Chinese tracking vessel raised alarm in India about spying missions off its coasts.By adding carriers — Indian officials are already <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/indian-navy-plans-for-another-vikrant-size-carrier-before-vikramaditya-retires/article66529445.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">considering</a> buying another Vikrant-size carrier — India's navy can keep them at sea off of both its coasts and around the region in order to monitor activity and potential threats from China's navy, the largest in the world.More carriers would also help India maintain its naval advantage over its longtime rival, Pakistan.<h2>Indian jets</h2><div type="image" title="India navy aircraft carrier INS Vikrant Tejas fighter jet" height="364" width="840" msid="98192320" hostid="261"></div>Though the Tejas and MiG-29K are the first jets India has operated on Vikrant's deck, they are not jets that India plans to use in the carrier's air wing in the future.In 2016, the Indian Navy <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/navy-rejects-tejas-says-overweight-fighter-does-not-meet-its-requirements/articleshow/55756350.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rejected</a> the naval variant of the Tejas because its single-engine design gives it a low thrust-to-weight ratio, making it unable to launch from a STOBAR carrier with a full load of fuel and weapons. The jet is only being used as a technology demonstrator to inform future operations and development.The MiG-29K, meanwhile, has been <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/land/2017/08/04/indian-navy-wants-russian-mig-29k-jets-to-be-ruggedized/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a headache</a> for India. At least five of the 45 jets it has purchased have <a href="https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/indian-navy-reports-crash-of-fifth-mig-29k-in-four-years" target="_blank" rel="noopener">crashed</a> in the last four years. A 2016 <a href="https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/nation/mig-29k-has-engine-failure-airframe-issues-cag-report-271853" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> by the Indian government said 40 of the 65 MiG-29K engines delivered to India had been withdrawn from service or rejected because of defects and deficiencies.<div type="image" title="Indian navy MiG-29 fighter jet aircraft carrier INS Vikrant" height="1331" width="2000" msid="98192322" hostid="261"></div>Like the rest of India's military, the Navy is dependent on Russia for major maintenance and support, including Russian technicians and spare parts, which may soon <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-technology-business-india-europe-8c2974119783b455f68fdcca6a7b474f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">be in much shorter supply</a> given the toll the war in Ukraine <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/07/21/ukraine-russia-arms-business-weapons-exports-africa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has taken on Russia's defense industry</a>.That reliance is exactly what Atmanirbhar Bharat aims to undo. Although the LCA Navy was rejected, India still has plans for a domestically produced carrier-based fighter. That jet, the Twin-Engine Deck Based Fighter, or TEDBF, is <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/twin-engine-carrier-based-fighter-for-navy-could-be-inducted-by-2031-32/article66124792.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in the early stages</a> of development and is intended to replace India's MiG-29Ks around 2031.India is also looking to acquire 26 new carrier-borne aircraft from another country to use until the TEDBF arrives. The search narrowed to two models: the French-made Dassault Rafale M and the US-made Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet.India's air force already operates the Rafale, leading to <a href="https://www.aviacionline.com/2023/01/india-rafale-m-beat-out-super-hornet-as-the-navys-favorite-for-carrier-operations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> that the Rafale M will edge out the Super Hornet.

A first-of-its-kind fighter jet landing shows India's big ambitions for its growing aircraft carrier fleet

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Relations between the US and <keyword id="11892747" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> and between <keyword id="11892748" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="china" source="Orion">China</keyword> and <keyword id="11893449" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="pakistan" source="Orion">Pakistan</keyword> are growing closer.</li><li>India and Pakistan are looking to boost their military capabilities, while the US and China are looking for support of their regional and global ambitions.</li></ul>In the final months of 2021, Pakistan <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/11/pakistan-navy-commissions-1st-type-054-a-p-frigate-pns-tughril/" target="_top">commissioned</a> the first of four Chinese-built Tughril-class frigates and <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2022/01/03/pakistan-confirms-chinese-firebird-fighter-acquisition/" target="_top">confirmed</a> its intentions to buy 25 of China's <a href="https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/j-10/" target="_top">J-10C</a> fighter jets.Those are only the latest high-profile defense projects between Beijing and Islamabad, and they are emblematic of the growing relations between two countries with a common goal: countering the threat they see in India.At the same time, India has increasingly turned to the US to meet its defense needs. The US has become a large supplier of arms to India over the past decade, and the two countries have deepened <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-intelligence-sharing-with-india-helps-monitor-chinese-military-2020-12" target="_top">their defense cooperation</a> as well.The moves add another geopolitical layer to what was already one of the world's most intense rivalries.<h2>Old rivals seek new friends</h2><div type="image" title="Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in Chinese J-10C jet" height="683" width="1024" msid="90400022" hostid="261"></div>Before China became Pakistan's chief arms supplier in the 1990s, Islamabad relied on the US for higher-end defense equipment and assistance — a partnership borne out of cooperation to oust the Soviets from Afghanistan in the 1980s.China and Pakistan's military relationship dates to the 1960s, but in recent years, the Pakistani military's hardware has increasingly come from China or through joint Pakistani-Chinese ventures.Virtually all of <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/land/2021/11/19/pakistan-resumes-armor-modernization-as-terror-threat-recedes/" target="_top">Pakistan's main battle tanks</a> are exported Chinese models or variants of Chinese tanks developed in Pakistan, like the <a href="https://www.army-technology.com/projects/alzarrarmianbattleta/" target="_top">Al-Zarrar</a>. Pakistan has fielded upgraded variants of the <a href="https://www.armyrecognition.com/pakistan_pakistani_army_tanks_heavy_armoured_uk/al_khalid_al-khalid_main_battle_tank_technical_data_pictures.html" target="_top">Al-Khalid</a> tank, developed jointly with a Chinese firm and in production since 2001, and <a href="https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/pakistan-army-holds-induction-ceremony-for-vt4-mbt" target="_top">begun acquiring</a> Chinese-made <a href="https://www.armyrecognition.com/china_chinese_heavy_armoured_vehicle_tank_uk/vt4_mbt-3000_norinco_mbt_main_battle_tank_data_pictures_video.html" target="_top">VT-4</a> tanks.The workhorse of Pakistan's Air Force is the <a href="https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/fc1xiaolongjf17thund/" target="_top">JF-17</a>, a fighter developed jointly with China and meant to replace Pakistan's aging Chinese-made J-7s. The PAF also <a href="https://eurasiantimes.com/satellite-image-reveals-chinese-predator-drones-armed-with-hellfire-type-missiles-stationed-at-pakistani-airbase/" target="_top">operates</a> a number of Chinese-made drones capable of strike missions.As the PAF's use of its US-made F-16s is <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/world-report/articles/2019-12-11/state-department-reprimanded-pakistan-in-august-for-misusing-f-16s-document-shows" target="_top">limited</a> by the terms of their sale, buying J-10Cs may be an attempt to substitute or even replace the American fighter with one Pakistan can actually use against India.<div type="image" title="Pakistan Zulfiqar-class frigate Shamsheer" height="1337" width="2000" msid="90400023" hostid="261"></div>At sea, three of the Pakistani navy's four <a href="https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/sword-f22p/" target="_top">Zulfiquar-class</a> frigates were built in China like the Tughril-class frigates, the fourth of which was <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/12/chinese-shipyard-launches-two-type-054-frigates-and-one-type-071e-lpd/" target="_top">launched</a> in December.China is also helping Pakistan <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/12/pakistan-cuts-steel-for-5th-hangor-class-submarine-pns-tasnim/" target="_top">build</a> eight Hangor-class submarines — a variant of China's <a href="https://news.usni.org/2015/08/31/essay-inside-the-design-of-chinas-yuan-class-submarine" target="_top">Type 039A</a> diesel-electric sub — splitting production between Chinese and Pakistani shipyards. They are expected to be delivered between 2022 and 2028 and will <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2020/10/pakistans-new-chinese-aip-submarines-image-shows-karachi-site/" target="_top">double</a> the size of Pakistan's submarine fleet.The defense relationship <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/China-and-Pakistan-ink-military-MOU-to-counter-US-India-pact" target="_top">goes beyond</a> weapons sales. China and Pakistan <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1646630" target="_top">regularly</a> conduct <a href="https://cscr.pk/explore/themes/defense-security/importance-of-shaheen-exercises-for-pakistan-air-force-and-indian-concerns/" target="_top">joint</a> and multinational <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/east-asia-pacific_chinas-warships-hold-joint-naval-drill-pakistan/6182310.html" target="_top">military exercises</a>. Officials from both countries speak of their relationship in glowing terms, describing it as <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Pakistan-China-and-terrorism" target="_top">"close as lips and teeth"</a> and <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/10161516/China-Pakistan-friendship-sweeter-than-honey-says-Nawaz-Sharif.html" target="_top">"sweeter than honey."</a>As its two fiercest rivals have deepened their defense ties, India has deepened its own military partnerships, in particular with Russia, which has for decades supplied India with advanced hardware.The US has historically been reluctant to sell arms to India because of New Delhi's ties with Moscow and fears that those weapons may be used in a war in <keyword id="11893424" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="south-asia" source="Orion">South Asia</keyword>. But in recent years India has increased its purchases of defense equipment from the US and other Western countries.<div type="image" title="India Australia US Navy P-8" height="1125" width="1500" msid="90400024" hostid="261"></div>Since the signing of the <a href="http://library.rumsfeld.com/doclib/sp/3211/2005-06-28%20New%20Framework%20for%20the%20US-India%20Defense%20Relationship.pdf" target="_top">New Framework for the US-India Defense Relationship</a> in 2005, India has purchased <a href="https://theprint.in/defence/c-130j-super-hercules-lands-on-national-highway-heres-a-look-at-past-landings-on-expressways/730942/" target="_top">dozens</a> of US-made <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2019/08/india-takes-delivery-of-11th-c-17-globemaster-from-united-states/" target="_top">cargo</a> aircraft and <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/india-gets-final-batch-of-apache-attack-helicopters-amid-ongoing-standoff-with-china/articleshow/76896252.cms" target="_top">attack</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZXNXX1aS08" target="_top">transport</a> helicopters — including <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-aircraft-boost-india-efforts-to-counter-china-at-sea-2021-7" target="_top">MH-60R Seahawk</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-china-more-us-made-sub-hunting-planes-2018-1" target="_top">P-8I maritime patrol planes</a>, both of which are important for Indian efforts to keep an eye on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/after-himalayan-clash-india-prepares-navy-to-take-on-china-2021-6" target="_top">increasing Chinese activity</a> in the <keyword id="13267637" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="indian-ocean" source="Orion">Indian Ocean</keyword>.The F/A-18, the F-15EX, and the F-21 (an F-16 variant made just for India by Lockheed Martin) are all <a href="https://eurasiantimes.com/indias-20b-multi-role-fighter-aircraft-mrfa-contract-junk-us-fighters/" target="_top">in the running</a> to fill an Indian order for 114 new fighter jets. The F/A-18 is also <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/india-closing-fa-18-super-hornet-its-carrier-fighter-200384" target="_top">a contender</a> to be used aboard India's first domestically built aircraft carrier, <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-first-indigenous-aircraft-carrier-ins-vikrant-sea-trails-7714755/" target="_top">INS Vikrant</a>.The US has also sold India lethal weaponry such as <a href="https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/india-mk-54-lightweight-torpedoes-0" target="_top">torpedos</a>, anti-ship <a href="https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/india-agm-84l-harpoon-air-launched-block-ii-missiles" target="_top">missiles</a>, <a href="https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/india-mk-45-gun-system" target="_top">naval guns</a>, an anti-aircraft <a href="https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/india-integrated-air-defense-weapon-system-iadws-and-related-equipment" target="_top">system</a>, <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/army-to-get-firepower-boost-in-mountains-with-more-m777-guns-101636896249075.html" target="_top">M777 howitzers</a>, and 144,000 US-made <a href="https://theprint.in/defence/indian-army-to-order-second-batch-of-72000-sig-716-assault-rifles-from-us/459438/" target="_top">SIG716</a> rifles.India's military participates in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-indian-soldiers-yudh-abhyas-exercise-alaska-amid-china-tension-2021-12" target="_top">land</a> and <a href="https://www.stripes.com/theaters/asia_pacific/2021-10-14/quad-malabar-naval-drills-india-us-australia-japan-3237200.html" target="_top">naval</a> exercises with the US, and the two sides have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-intelligence-sharing-with-india-helps-monitor-chinese-military-2020-12" target="_top">expanded their intelligence-sharing</a> amid tensions along India's disputed border with China.<h2>Geopolitical realities</h2><div type="image" title="India China border guards" height="1648" width="2464" msid="90400025" hostid="261"></div>The developments in the China-Pakistan and US-India relationships reflect the geopolitical realities in South Asia and across the Asia-Pacific region.India and Pakistan have looked to the US and to China to boost their military capabilities, while the US and China are looking to India and Pakistan to support their regional and global ambitions.Pakistan's <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/the-implications-of-deepening-economic-ties-between-pakistan-china-/6443711.html" target="_top">reliance on China</a>, in particular Chinese investment in the <a href="https://www.cfr.org/blog/china-pakistan-economic-corridor-hard-reality-greets-bris-signature-initiative" target="_top">China-Pakistan Economic Corridor</a>, will only increase in the aftermath of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. The withdrawal is also likely to reduce the US's commitment to Pakistan, as they are aligned on few other issues."The China-Pakistan relationship is deeper because China's goals are more aligned with what Pakistan wants, which is the ability to counter its main rival, India," Timothy Heath, a senior <keyword id="6356001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="international" source="Orion">international</keyword> and defense researcher at the Rand Corporation think tank, told Insider.<div type="image" title="Pakistan Gwadar port China Kashgar trade" height="1331" width="2000" msid="90400027" hostid="261"></div>"China hopes to keep a strong, relatively well-equipped and well-armed Pakistan as a partner, because from Beijing's perspective, that helps keep a potential rival — namely India — distracted and unable to cause more problems for China," Heath added.Some in Pakistan <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/23/opinion/pakistan-united-states-china.html" target="_top">are wary</a> of going all-in on China and may seek rapprochement with the US, particularly if China grows reluctant to invest further in Pakistan's struggling economy. Beijing has also stopped short of making a military commitment to Pakistan — largely because it fears getting dragged into a full-blown conflict between Pakistan and India."They have a good deal where they use Pakistan to box in India and they stay outside and allow those two to bleed each other and beat each other up a little bit," Heath said.While Beijing wants to avoid "extreme escalations," Heath said, "tensions of a low simmering type are useful for China."For India, the US has emerged as a prime partner as Delhi grows more concerned with Chinese ambitions and the potential for conflict along its borders with both China and Pakistan.<div type="image" title="India Pakistan MiG-21 missiles" height="1331" width="2000" msid="90400028" hostid="261"></div>The US-India relationship is "primarily driven by a strategic convergence," said Rahul Bhatia, a research analyst at Carnegie India."New Delhi and Washington essentially want multipolarity in the Indo-Pacific and a rules-based international order, which very loosely translates to containing China," Bhatia said, adding that "they need each other for that."But despite a deepening defense relationship, India doesn't seek a full-fledged alliance with the US for a variety of political and economic reasons."When the US wants to sell a country arms, they are looking at building up a strategic partnership and interoperability. What India looks at when it's buying arms is building its own defense industrial base and the transfer of technology," Bhatia said.Moreover, India does not want to break from its traditional stance of non-alignment."They want to maintain their strategic autonomy," Heath said. "That's a very deeply rooted tradition vigorously alive in India today."

The US and China are picking sides in one of the world's most dangerous rivalries

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A months-long clash between <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> and <keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="China">China</keyword> on their Himalaya border has dramatically increased tensions.</li><li>But the growing rivalry between the two Asian powers is also likely to play out in the <keyword id="12350" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Indian-Ocean">Indian Ocean</keyword>.</li><li>China's navy is capable and only getting bigger, and India is trying to catch up.</li></ul>Last year, an all-out brawl between Chinese and Indian troops along the disputed Sino-Indian border killed 20 Indian and at least four Chinese soldiers.The medieval-style battle in the Himalayas showed that the countries' rivalry is entering a new phase of intensity."China is definitely factoring larger and larger in India's defense strategy today," Timothy Heath, a senior <keyword id="6356001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">international</keyword> and defense researcher at the Rand Corporation think tank, told Insider.The military focus of that rivalry has primarily been on the ground, as reflected by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-india-tanks-armor-could-make-future-war-much-deadlier-2021-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the buildup in the Himalayas</a>, but another <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-china-border-clashes-could-cause-more-indian-ocean-activity-2020-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">area is growing in importance</a>: the Indian Ocean.<div type="image" title="India China troops soldiers Pangong Ladakh border" height="1000" width="2000" msid="83204985" hostid="261"></div>With some of the world's most <a href="https://lki.lk/publication/the-importance-of-the-indian-ocean-trade-security-and-norms/" target="_top">important</a> trade routes running through it, the Indian Ocean's value is hard to understate, which <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-is-guarding-against-chinas-big-plans-across-asia-2020-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China has already recognized</a>."Given its importance for China, it's pretty obvious the Chinese are elevating in priority the security needs for the maritime silk road," Heath said. "That means India has to be ready for possible situations involving China."But Indian dominance in its home waters is far from assured. While India's navy has some advanced capabilities, China's People's Liberation Army Navy, or PLAN, is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-challenged-to-build-balanced-to-compete-with-us-navy-2021-5">substantially larger</a> and more sophisticated.With the rivalry entering a new phase, India is trying to catch up.<h2>Outnumbered at sea</h2><div type="image" title="Indian Navy aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya" height="1098" width="2000" msid="83204986" hostid="261"></div>The <keyword id="6355100" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Indian-Navy">Indian navy</keyword> isn't small or weak. Its primary combatants include 10 destroyers, 13 frigates, 17 submarines, and one aircraft carrier.A number of India's warships, like its <a href="http://www.military-today.com/navy/kolkata_class.htm" target="_top">Kolkata-class destroyers</a> and <a href="https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/world-naval-forces/asian-navies-vessels-ships-equipment/india-indian-navy-ins-vessels-ships-equipment/india-indian-navy-destroyers-and-frigates/2492-shivalik-class-frigate-india-indian-navy-ins-guided-missile-frigate-satpura-sahyadri-datasheet-pictures-photos-video-specifications.html" target="_top">Shivalik-class frigates</a>, were commissioned within the last decade and have stealth capabilities.Some Indian ships have modern vertical launching systems and are armed with Russian and Israeli anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles. India's navy also has the <a href="https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/brahmos/" target="_top">BrahMos</a> supersonic missile, a joint Indian-Russian design that is one of the fastest missiles in the world.Two of India's submarines are nuclear-powered: one attack submarine (SSN) on loan from Russia and one <a href="https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/arihant-class/" target="_top">Arihant-class</a> domestically designed and built ballistic-missile submarine (SSBN) - the first SSBN for a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.India <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/navy-to-get-aircraft-carrier-vikrant-missile-destroyer-visakhapatnam-in-2021-101619498533809.html" target="_top">expects</a> to commission a second Arihant SSBN and a second aircraft carrier (also domestically designed and built) within the year. But the Indian navy is outnumbered and outclassed by the PLAN.Chinese ships are "largely composed of modern multi-role platforms featuring advanced anti-ship, anti-air, and anti-submarine weapons and sensors," according to a <a href="https://media.defense.gov/2020/Sep/01/2002488689/-1/-1/1/2020-DOD-CHINA-MILITARY-POWER-REPORT-FINAL.PDF" target="_top">2020 Pentagon report</a>.By comparison, India is "still quite a way behind the Chinese in their warship development," Heath said. "The Chinese have certainly developed some very impressive platforms, and the Indians are really trying to catch up."<div type="image" title="Indian Navy Scorpene-class submarine Karanj" height="1287" width="2000" msid="83204988" hostid="261"></div>The Indian navy's primary fighting vessels are outnumbered by the PLAN's <a href="https://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP68058.html" target="_top">South Sea Fleet</a> alone, which has some 11 destroyers, 19 frigates, 22 submarines (including two SSNs and four SSBNs), and one aircraft carrier. The PLAN, now the largest navy in the world, can draw on even more vessels from its two other fleets.To address the imbalance, the Indian navy plans on <a href="https://www.naval-technology.com/features/future-ships-indian-navy/" target="_top">acquiring</a> a number of new and advanced vessels, especially <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/defence/story/20210426-india-s-nuclear-sharks-1791817-2021-04-17" target="_top">nuclear-</a><a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/defence/story/20210426-india-s-nuclear-sharks-1791817-2021-04-17" target="_top">powered</a><a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/defence/story/20210426-india-s-nuclear-sharks-1791817-2021-04-17" target="_top"> and diesel-electric submarines</a>.Two more Arihant-class SSBNs are in production and are expected to join the fleet by 2025. Three more larger SSBNs from the new <a href="http://www.hisutton.com/S-5_SSBN.html" target="_top">S5-class</a> are also being planned.The Indian navy also <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/project-to-build-n-powered-attack-subs-set-to-get-ccs-nod/articleshow/81770216.cms?from=mdr" target="_top">hopes</a> to build six Project-75 Alpha-class SSNs and to <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2019/03/08/india-signs-3-billion-contract-with-russia-for-lease-of-a-nuclear-submarine/" target="_top">replace</a> its leased Russian SSN INS Chakra (which will be returned soon) with another leased Akula-class SSN by 2025.Six new <a href="https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/p75i-scorpene-class-attack-submarines/" target="_top">Project 75I-class</a> diesel-electric attack submarines have <a href="https://www.financialexpress.com/defence/the-wait-for-more-submarines-gets-longer-project-75-i-gets-delayed-further/2209149/" target="_top">been delayed</a> but could start entering Indian service by 2030.A third aircraft carrier, INS Vishal, is planned to replace the aging INS Vikramaditya. The new carrier, not expected to be completed before 2030, <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/india-uk-in-talks-to-build-copycat-naval-supercarrier-report/articleshow/69186727.cms" target="_top">may be based on</a> the UK's Queen Elizabeth-class supercarrier.Seven brand-new <a href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2020/12/indian-navys-2nd-project-17a-frigate-himgiri-launched-by-grse/" target="_top">Nilgiri-Class</a> stealth frigates are also under construction, and four Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates, two built by Russia and two by India, are also <a href="https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/news/defence-news/2021/january/9586-india-procures-from-ukraine-gas-turbine-engines-for-admiral-grigorovich-class-frigates-of-indian-navy.html" target="_top">expected</a> to join India's navy before the end of the decade.<h2>China's 'string of pearls'</h2><div type="image" title="India navy Malabar" height="1429" width="2000" msid="83204989" hostid="261"></div>There is little doubt in India that the new vessels are needed. Although China is relatively far from the Indian Ocean, it has ramped up its activity there.Over the last few years, China has taken control of ports across the Indian Ocean that have the potential to support the PLAN - a network that has been called China's "String of Pearls.""People have been theorizing about the so-called String of Pearls for years," Heath said. "We are actually starting to see some evidence of the Chinese implementing something along these lines."China has <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/12/13/784084567/in-sri-lanka-chinas-building-spree-is-raising-questions-about-sovereignty" target="_top">taken control</a> of a port in Sri Lanka, is <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/hisutton/2020/06/02/chinas-new-high-security-compound-in-pakistan-may-indicate-naval-plans/?sh=2180b3d21020" target="_top">building</a> naval facilities in Pakistan, and is pursuing port projects in <a href="https://www.globalconstructionreview.com/news/china-signs-deals-myanmar-create-back-door-indian-/" target="_top">Myanmar</a>, <a href="https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/china-bangladesh-strategic-linkages/" target="_top">Bangladesh</a>, and <a href="https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/falling-apart-a-story-of-the-tanzanian-bagamoyo-port-project/" target="_top">Tanzania</a>.China already has a <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Indo-Pacific/China-adds-carrier-pier-to-Djibouti-base-extending-Indian-Ocean-reach" target="_blank" rel="noopener">military base in Djibouti</a>, but other "pearls" appear to be primarily for civilian use.That doesn't mean those facilities couldn't be used to support PLAN vessels. A number of Chinese ships and submarines have <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/sri-lanka-china-submarine/chinese-submarine-docks-in-sri-lanka-despite-indian-concerns-idINKBN0IM0LU20141102" target="_top">already docked</a> at Sri Lanka to refuel and resupply. Sri Lanka has since <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sri-lanka-china-submarine/sri-lanka-rejects-chinese-request-for-submarine-visit-sources-idUSKBN1871P9" target="_top">denied</a> Chinese requests for other warship port visits due to Indian concerns."The Chinese are not interested in building full-fledged bases in the US model," Heath said. "These are facilities that primarily offer refueling, repair, and replenishment to passing warships."<div type="image" title="India Australia US Navy P-8" height="1125" width="2000" msid="83204991" hostid="261"></div>India does have a few advantages over China. As the region is its backyard, it will always be able to bring more to bear against threatening Chinese vessels, such as land-based aircraft and anti-ship missiles.India also has its own overseas outposts. It <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/india-sets-up-coastal-radars-in-neighbourhood-to-keep-eye-on-china-1744751-2020-11-27" target="_top">has set up</a> radar stations for maritime surveillance in Sri Lanka, Seychelles, and Mauritius; it's <a href="https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/agalega-glimpse-india-s-remote-island-military-base" target="_top">constructing</a> facilities on the Mauritian island of North Agalega, and <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Indo-Pacific/Seychelles-in-crosshairs-of-India-s-maritime-security-axis" target="_top">it's pursuing</a> military facilities elsewhere in the region.India also controls the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-india-navy-set-to-open-third-base-in-strategic-islands-to-counter-china-2019-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strategically important islands</a> on the Indian Ocean side of the Malacca Strait. India has beefed up its military presence there, and some <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/militarising-andamans-the-costs-and-the-benefits/story-J3mGWFQS3NgLUiPYwIVb2N.html" target="_top">advocate</a> allowing partner countries to have a presence there as well. (A US Navy patrol plane <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-intelligence-sharing-with-india-helps-monitor-chinese-military-2020-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has already refueled</a> there.)Despite the government's renewed attention, India's navy still has a ways to go. Most of its new ships and submarines will not be fully operational until the end of the decade at the earliest, and its budget is still smaller than that of India's army or air force.India's navy will also have to compete with the considerable attention that remains <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-intelligence-sharing-with-india-helps-monitor-chinese-military-2020-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">focused on India's land borders</a>, where New Delhi also has to worry about Pakistan, the rival it has focused on almost exclusively since independence.But the rivalry with Pakistan also has a naval element. The Pakistani terrorists who carried out the deadly 2008 attack in Mumbai <a href="https://www.stimson.org/wp-content/files/file-attachments/Mumbai-Final_1_1.pdf" target="_top">arrived by sea</a>, and Islamabad, which is a Chinese military partner, is <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2020/10/14/outgoing-pakistan-navy-chief-reveals-details-of-modernization-programs/" target="_top">modernizing its </a><a href="https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2020/10/14/outgoing-pakistan-navy-chief-reveals-details-of-modernization-programs/" target="_top">own</a><a href="https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2020/10/14/outgoing-pakistan-navy-chief-reveals-details-of-modernization-programs/" target="_top"> navy</a>, including with Chinese submarines and drones.

A year after a showdown on 'the roof of the world,' India is gearing up to take on China at sea

Ranjit Singh, the author, is a columnist who writes on internal security issues. In recent years, China has increasingly leaned on Pakistan in South Asia and the Indian Ocean Region to propagate its foreign, economic and military policies through various initiatives like <keyword id="6363059" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="cpec">CPEC</keyword>, <keyword id="387907" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="BRI">BRI</keyword> etc. Michel Berkley of the Belfer Centre at Harvard university has succinctly identified the main interests that China has in Pakistan; firstly, preserve Pakistan as viable military competitor to India; secondly, use Pakistan as an overland trade and energy corridor; and thirdly, use Pakistan's cooperation in severing links between Uighur separatists in Western China and Islamists in Pakistan. Quite clearly, China looks at Pakistan as a supporter, a facilitator and promoter of her national interest. More recently, this relationship has been witnessing a deeper understanding and transforming into a strong military relationship. Yet what defies reason is - why does China refuse to sign an alliance with Pakistan? Historical Background Pakistan began flirting with China after 1962. Ayub Khan realised that the US was not a credible ally, more so when the US agreed to support India after the 1962 Sino-Indian war. Pakistan was unable to capitalise on a weak India. The Treaty of Shaksgam in 1963, wherein Pakistan parted with 5,180 sq km of territory of the erstwhile Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir (now UT of Ladakh), set into motion the beginning of a deep and mutual relationship based almost entirely on the classic policy of balancing - 'my enemy's enemy is my friend'. Over the last five decades, Pakistan has been a reliable ally to China. China has never forgotten the role of former Pakistan President Yahya khan as the messenger between US President Richard Nixon and Mao Tse Tung which resulted in the US-China rapprochement in 1970. Ever since, Pakistan has been a staunch supporter of China in the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC), fending off any anti-China sentiments, especially with reference to Chinese atrocities in Xinjiang. The OIC, a powerful grouping of 57 countries, has surprisingly been a mute spectator to the horrors perpetuated by the CCP on the Uighurs and Sinicisation of Xinjiang. Pakistan has also been an ardent supporter of China in the United Nations, providing unwavering support to China during the crisis in South China Sea and in its 'One China' policy on Taiwan. In return, Pakistan has benefited from the Chinese largesse. As Chinese aspirations of global power gained traction, her expanding footprint in South Asia made Pakistan the centre of its South Asia policy. Pakistan supported Chinese entry as an observer in SAARC which was reciprocated by Pakistan's entry into SCO. The flagship Belt &amp; Road Initiative (BRI) of Xi Jinping had become the cornerstone of Chinese economic policy, coupled with a military strategy of increasing its global footprint in Asia, Africa and Europe. Among the six sub-initiatives that comprise the BRI, the most successful has been the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is entirely routed through Pakistan and the UT of Ladakh. The $64 billion CPEC has already become an issue of contention within Pakistan. Falling short of targets and wracked by incessant attacks on Chinese engineers, staff and assets by Baloch nationalists and Gilgit-Baltistan based local groups, China has put pressure on Pakistan to ensure its success. Pakistan has raised a 15,000-strong para-military force to protect the CPEC from marauding Baloch and its tribes of GB who see CPEC as a loss of their sovereignty, dignity and aspiration. Much to the dislike of the Chinese, the CPEC has also become synonymous with corruption with the head of the CPEC, a Pakistani General, getting involved in corruption scandals directly implicating him and his family. Attacks by Baloch nationalists have forced China to deploy Private Military Contractors (PMCs) to protect its projects. Recently, China has replaced its top UFWD official as the new envoy to ensure the success of the CPEC and salvage 'its reputation'. China has also replaced the US as the main arms and equipment supplier to Pakistan. In the last decade, Chinese share in the Pakistan's military rose from 13 per cent to 63 per cent while that of the US has almost come to naught. The entire nuclear programme of Pakistan is China supported, thanks to the AQ Khan scandal who stole technology for China in return for nuclear weapons. Pakistan's missile programme is entirely China centric with its arsenal being direct copies of the Chinese Nodong and Dong-Feng series. The tank factory at Taxila, the JF-17 fighter aircraft joint production, the upgrades of the T-59 &amp;T-69 series tanks, supply of AEW&amp;CS aircraft, F-22 P destroyers of the Pakistan navy, Air Defence guns, radars etc. are all of Chinese origin. The recently inaugurated Beidou Navigational System (BNS) has been provided to Pakistan's armed forces replacing the GPS. All this ensures that the Pakistan Army is now dependent on China for arms supplies, spares and relief/upgrades in perpetuity. Chinese and Pakistani militaries exercise regularly and have a robust calendar of annual engagements aside from military exchanges in courses, training, visits by military delegations, naval port of calls and joint seminars by think-tanks. Gwadar is China's next base in the Indian Ocean. It is all set to accommodate a Chinese population of 500,000 in a special international port city, which will include Chinese naval personnel and expeditionary forces like the PLA marine force. Gwadar, by its location, provides a strategic outpost to China to monitor the Straits of Hormuz which has the US Third Fleet based in Bahrain and Indian Navy's Western Command on its western seaboard. Despite all these mutual interests, China has still not signed an alliance with Pakistan. That clearly sends two messages to the environment: * China does not want to make any binding commitment to Pakistan. Financial, military equipment, diplomatic support is a 'Yes' but direct intervention and sending Han Chinese body bags for Pakistan's cause is a big 'No'. * China does not trust Pakistan as a reliable ally. The Chinese continue to be cautious about the all powerful Pakistan Army and the chaotic political landscape in Pakistan. Many Chinese argue that China does not believe in the alliances, yet Chinese have signed a binding treaty with North Korea in 1961. And they are fully committed to that alliance. This clearly amplifies one bitter truth. No matter how deep the relationship, there is still a measure of 'trust deficit' in the relationship. One cannot grudge the Chinese from holding back because Pakistan's chequered history is replete with flip-flops that have branded Pakistan as unstable and wavering. In sum, Pakistan is at best a tool in the Chinese grand strategy of becoming a world superpower by 2050. By creating dependence in perpetuity on China by way of land, unpayable loans, infrastructure development, industry and Chinese weaponry and spares, Pakistan is totally subservient and beholden to China. As Hussain Haqqani very vividly describes this relationship: "For China, Pakistan is a low cost secondary deterrent to India... for Pakistan, China is a high value guarantor of security against India." In effect, Pakistan has just become China's newest 'vassal'. 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OPINION: The bitter truth about the friendship between China and Pakistan

Mumbai attacks accused <keyword id="67323" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="David-Coleman-Headley">David Coleman Headley</keyword> made new revelations about the carnage. 
 
The Pakistani-American terrorist, Headley, said the ISI and LeT majorly funded terror operations in India. 
 
Headley said ISI and LeT financed him at regular intervals and Pakistan native Tahawwur Rana visited Mumbai before the terror strikes. 
Resuming his deposition before a court here today via video-link, the LeT operative also said that RBI has turned down a request to open a bank account for their office in India. 
 
"Tahawur Rana (Headley's associate and a Pakistani native who operated a Chicago-based immigration business) used to send me money from the US in September 2006 when I came to India to do intelligence work on instructions of LeT," he told the court. 
 
The 55-year-old, who recently turned approver in the case, also said that "it was my idea to open an office in India. It was a part of my cover (as an immigration consultant). I had discussed about this with Major Iqbal and Sajid Mir and they both agreed to it." 
 
"I also told Rana that Major Iqbal had asked me to do intelligence work in India. Iqbal told me that if Rana was reluctant to be associated with this (Headley's India operations) then he (Headley) should appeal to his (Rana's) sense of patriotism towards Pakistan," he testified. 
"But Rana was not reluctant and he agreed readily for me to go to India," Headley said. 
 
Earlier on Tuesday, Headley had told the court that terror outfits like LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen were given moral, financial and military support by the Pakistani intelligence agency besides making fresh revelations including about an aborted plan to target Indian defence scientists and famous Siddhivinayak temple here. 
 He said he was working for ISI besides LeT (<keyword id="53557" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lashkar-e-Taiba">Lashkar-e-Taiba</keyword>) and that he knew about ISI official Brigadier Riyaz being the handler of LeT's top commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, who was the mastermind of the November 26, 2008 attacks in Mumbai. 
 He named three officials of the Pakistan army and ISI --Colonel Shah, Lt Colonel Hamza and Major Samir Ali - besides retired army officer <keyword id="141753" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Abdul-Rehman">Abdul Rehman</keyword> Pasha who was closely working with LeT and Al-Qaeda. 
 
Headley said his assessment was that ISI and LeT were coordinating with each other. 
 
Headley, who had visited Mumbai seven times to scout for targets, revealed that plans to harm the metropolis had started over a year before the attacks in 2008 and that LeT initially wanted to attack a conference of Indian defence scientists at Taj Mahal Hotel for which even a dummy of the hotel was prepared. 
 
But the plan to target scientists was dropped because of logistical reasons, like difficulty in smuggling in weapons and personnel and lack of details about the schedule of the meet, he said. 
 
The LeT operative had said he had also conducted a recce of the famous Siddhivinayak Temple and Naval air station. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

26/11 Mumbai attacks: David Headley reveals details of operatives, says ISI funded terror operations in India

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">REUTERS/Dinuka LiyanawatteSri Lankan soldiers at a rehearsal for Sri Lanka's 69th Independence Day celebrations in Colombo, February 2, 2017.</div></div></div>China's growing influence in its near abroad has stirred concern among its neighbors, none more so than India.New Delhi regards Beijing's expansion - through military and commercial agreements alike - warily, particularly China's recent agreement on <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-sri-lanka-china-ports-idUSKBN1AE0CN?il=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a 99-year lease</a> to operate a strategically located deep-water port at the southern tip of Sri Lanka, a small island nation just south of the Indian mainland.Sri Lanka started building the Hambantota port about five years ago, relying on heavy Chinese investment but planning to operate the facility itself.Ambitions for the port have foundered, however, and Colombo struck a billion-dollar <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-sri-lanka-china-ports-idUSKBN1AE0CN?il=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">deal</a> with Beijing for a 70% stake in a joint venture with Sri Lanka's port authority. The lease also gives China control over 15,000 acres of land near the port for development of an industrial zone.China's latest investment extends the country's One Belt, One Road initiative, which includes overland and maritime routes as well as economic and industrial agreements <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2017/07/china-purchase-port-sri-lanka-170729182520947.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">linking</a> China to 68 countries constituting about 60% of the world's population and around one-third of global GDP. It will also go toward debt relief for Sri Lanka, which owes China <a href="https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/why-china-invested-sri-lanka" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">$8 billion</a>, more than 12% of the country's $65 billion outstanding debt.But the Hambantota deal has been met with concern both inside and outside Sri Lanka.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2017/07/china-purchase-port-sri-lanka-170729182520947.html">Al Jazeera</a>A view of the Hambantota port in southern Sri Lanka.</div></div></div>At home, Sri Lankans - labor unions and other activists in particular - continue to protest what is seen as growing Chinese influence in their country.Those opposed to the deal have called the Hambantota project a "<a href="https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/big-power-little-sri-lanka-india-china-rivalry" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chinese colony</a>" - an early January protest at an event marking the start of construction at the port ended with 21 people injured and 52 arrested. The opposition parliamentary coalition have also protested the deal. Colombo has <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-sri-lanka-china-ports-idUSKBN1AE0CN?il=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">revised</a> the deal, splitting control of port operations, but worry persists."The concern is not about the investment coming in," Nasal Rajapaksa, an opposition parliament member and son of the former president (who oversaw much of the growth of Sri Lanka's debts to China), <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2017/07/china-purchase-port-sri-lanka-170729182520947.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told Al Jazeera</a> at the end of July. "I'm saying the Sri Lankan government should have negotiated a better deal for Sri Lanka."India has also objected, seeing the Chinese presence in Sri Lanka as part of Beijing's effort to expand into the Indian Ocean, of a piece with Chinese-run and financed <a href="https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/07/19/world/asia/myanmar-china-us-diplomacy-trump.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">facilities</a> in places like, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Djibouti.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Christopher Woody/Google Maps</div></div></div>The Hambantota port deal "ties into what India has said about the Belt and Road initiative, that many of these ventures are not being entered into by China by looking at their financial liability," K.C. Singh, former secretary at the Indian ministry of external affairs, told Al Jazeera.Colombo has also made agreements with New Delhi to mollify the latter's concern about Hambantota, including the condition that no Chinese military vessel come to the port without permission.But, Singh said, "this is going to be a standing example for the other countries to watch, because China is not Father Christmas, handing out dollar bills. They want return on the money, and they want the money to come within a certain, certified period."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Reuters</div></div></div>"Is it a model then for future extension of the Chinese strategic footprint? When ... countries can't return the money, then you grab territory?" Singh said. "So that will be something that India will be concerned about, and I'm sure it will be raised in Colombo."Einar Tangen, an Al Jazeera political analyst and banker who advises the Chinese government, said if India - which <a href="http://www.firstpost.com/world/india-boycotts-chinas-belt-and-road-meet-mounts-diplomatic-pressure-against-cpec-3444662.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">boycotted</a> a Chinese meeting on the One Belt, One Road initiative earlier this year - has concerns about China's activities it should "come to the table.""We should separate the passive-aggressive ideas about China's expansions and concentrate more on what exactly the world needs," <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2017/07/china-purchase-port-sri-lanka-170729182520947.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tangen said</a>. "Isn't it about time that leaders sat down and tried to work" out disputes.<h2>One Belt, One Road</h2>US interest in Asia, under the guise of President Barack Obama's "Asia pivot," has receded in some places as Chinese interest has grown.Beijing's <a href="https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/07/19/world/asia/myanmar-china-us-diplomacy-trump.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">deal-making</a> in Myanmar, for example, comes as President Donald Trump has shown little interest in guiding that country out of war.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">ReutersPresident Barack Obama with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Paris, November 30, 2015.</div></div></div>The Trump administration is also considering a <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-pakistan-exclusive-idUSKBN19B0C8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tougher stance</a> toward Pakistan, even as China has signed <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-pushes-u-s-aside-in-pakistan-1497783600" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">$55 billion</a> in deals with the South Asian country, locking the two into what looks to be a long-term relationship.India, which <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-as-india-marks-70-years-of-partition-memories-fresh-of-border-bloodshed-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">has a long</a> and often contentious relationship with Pakistan, has objected to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor because it <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/02/china-pakistan-economic-corridor-worry-india-170208063418124.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cuts through an area</a> claimed by New Delhi.Heavy Chinese investment in <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-pushes-u-s-aside-in-pakistan-1497783600" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gwadar</a>, an Pakistani port on the Indian Ocean being run and expanded by a Chinese company, stirs concerns similar to those about Hambantota.China has tried to avoid the appearance of military-oriented deal-making with the One Belt, One Road initiative - Beijing refers to the port facility recently opened in Djibouti as a "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-troops-to-overseas-base-operational-security-concerns-for-us-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">logistics facility</a>" - emphasizing instead economic and infrastructure deals, though such deals still bind the countries involved to Beijing closely."The Chinese are winning the perceptions game, whatever the reality. That then leads to political outcomes, because people see the inevitability of China's rise and China's power," Ely Ratner of the Council on Foreign Relations <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-pushes-u-s-aside-in-pakistan-1497783600" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told</a> The Wall Street Journal.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">ReutersChinese submarines and warships at an international fleet review to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army Navy in Qingdao, Shandong province, on April 23, 2009.</div></div></div>If China's projects in Sri Lanka are peaceful and benefit the latter country, "sure, it's very good," said Singh, the former Indian diplomat. "But at the moment, that's not the impression that India has. We find that China is jostling for strategic space."The US, India, and Japan - all of whom took part in the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/malabar-2017-photos-of-us-india-and-japan-war-games-in-indian-ocean-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">massive Malabar 2017 naval exercise</a> in the Indian Ocean this summer - have all reportedly objected to the potential Chinese military activities at Hambantota, and New Delhi <a href="https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/big-power-little-sri-lanka-india-china-rivalry" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">condemned</a> the docking of a Chinese submarine at Colombo in 2014. China's subs, and its naval activity in the Indian Ocean in general, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-troops-to-overseas-base-operational-security-concerns-for-us-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">are a particular concern for India</a>.<h2>The conflict 'will not be limited'</h2>Protracted tensions in the Himalayas, where Indian and Chinese forces have squared off in a border dispute since mid-summer, offer an example of how the Indian Ocean could become ground zero for any Sino-Indian conflict."Certainly, it will be detrimental for both, but if Beijing escalates [the conflict], it will not be limited. Perhaps, it may extend to the maritime domain as well," Dr. Rajeev Ranjan Chaturvedy, research associate at the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-and-india-are-reportedly-preparing-for-war-over-border-dispute-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told</a> the South China Morning Post.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Christopher Woody/Google Maps</div></div></div>Indian military expansion on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands also give it a strategically valuable position in relation to the Malacca Straits, a choke point through which China gets over <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-and-india-are-reportedly-preparing-for-war-over-border-dispute-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">80% of its oil imports</a>."Since 2010, India has also upgraded two airstrips on the [Andaman and Nicobar] islands to serve fighters and reconnaissance aircraft," Naval expert Li Jie, who is based in Beijing, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-and-india-are-reportedly-preparing-for-war-over-border-dispute-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told the Post</a>. "All these moves pave the way for India to be able to blockade Chinese military and commercial ships from entering the Indian Ocean in the event of a naval conflict between the two countries." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-new-panda-shaped-solar-power-plants-2017-7">China wants to build 100 panda-shaped solar power plants around the world</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

'China is not Father Christmas': India's concern about Beijing's expansion grows after a new port deal

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">REUTERS/Raheb HomavandiA speed boat passes oil docks at the port of Kalantari in the city of Chabahar, 186 miles east of the Strait of Hormuz, January 17, 2012.</div></div></div><ul><li>India is working with Iran to develop and overland route to Afghanistan.</li><li>The US, which wants India's help in Afghanistan, appears to have accepted that India and Iran will have some kind of relationship going foward.</li><li>India is also trying to build influence around the Indian Ocean.</li></ul> Just days after the first shipment of Indian wheat arrived in the southeastern Iranian port of Chabahar on its way to Afghanistan, Indian officials <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/india-iran-port/india-cracks-open-iran-sea-route-to-afghanistan-bypassing-rival-idUSL3N1NC54V" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a> they were in talks with Tehran to begin interim operations at the port.India's activity at Chabahar is more than <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2017/10/first-indian-wheat-shipment-leaves-for-afghanistan-via-irans-strategic-chabahar-port/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a decade</a> in the making, but the country now finds itself steering between its own rival in Pakistan and an arch US foe in Iran in order to reach Afghanistan, where the Trump administration is eager to see New Delhi offer economic and security assistance.India's and Afghanistan's foreign ministers <a href="http://mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl/29062/Flag_off_of_the_first_consignment_of_wheat_assistance_to_Afghanistan_through_Chabahar_port" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">heralded</a> the first of seven shipments of 1.1 million metric tons of wheat headed to the latter country."The shipment of wheat is a landmark moment as it will pave the way for operationalisation of the Chabahar port as an alternate, reliable and robust connectivity for Afghanistan" and "enhance trade and commerce between the three countries and the wider region," India's Ministry of External Affairs <a href="http://mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl/29062/Flag_off_of_the_first_consignment_of_wheat_assistance_to_Afghanistan_through_Chabahar_port" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a> in a statement.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Google Maps</div></div></div>India <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2016/04/india-iran-afghanistan-finalize-chabahar-port-agreement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">signed</a> the Chabahar Agreement with Afghanistan and Iran in spring 2016, allowing India to access Afghanistan through the port. India has committed <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/india-iran-port/india-cracks-open-iran-sea-route-to-afghanistan-bypassing-rival-idUSL3N1NC54V" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">$500 million</a> to develop the port, alongside plans for overland-transit routes, including a railway for which India has said it would supply <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/foreign-trade/india-afghanistan-and-iran-finalise-chabahar-agreement/articleshow/51867141.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">$400 million worth</a> of steel rails.Washington is keen to see India do more to help stabilize Afghanistan, where the Trump administration has recommitted the US to its <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mattis-us-not-winning-longest-war-in-afghanistan-photos-2017-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">16-year-long war</a>. Earlier this year, Trump appeared to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-trumps-afghanistan-strategy-includes-new-ultimatum-on-india-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">to tie India's</a> trade relationship with the US to its role in Afghanistan, and his administration has <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-holds-255-million-pakistan-for-afghanistan-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">withheld</a> hundreds of millions from Pakistan in order to get it to do more to secure the war-torn country.India also has its own interest in developing new routes to Afghanistan.India is Afghanistan's top destination for exports, receiving $220 million of the latter country's $483 million in total trade in 2016, <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2017/10/first-indian-wheat-shipment-leaves-for-afghanistan-via-irans-strategic-chabahar-port/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according</a> to The Diplomat. A significant portion of Afghanistan's manufactured goods have traveled through Karachi in Pakistan on their way to India; however, deteriorating relations with Islamabad have <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2016/04/india-iran-afghanistan-finalize-chabahar-port-agreement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">severely crimped</a> that flow.Pakistan has had poor relations with India and Afghanistan, and it does not allow those two countries to use its territory for overland trade. Pakistan has also accused India of using Afghanistan as a base from which to undermine Pakistan - though a Pakistani Foreign Office official reportedly <a href="https://tribune.com.pk/story/1550999/1-chabahar-port-not-alliance-pakistan-fo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said this week</a> that Islamabad does not see India-Afghanistan trade via Iran as "any kind of alliance against us."Developing an overland route through Iran is also a potentially touchy subject with the US.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">REUTERS/Kevin LamarquePresident Donald Trump with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a joint news conference at the White House, June 26, 2017.</div></div></div>New Delhi has <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/india-iran-port/india-cracks-open-iran-sea-route-to-afghanistan-bypassing-rival-idUSL3N1NC54V" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">framed its engagement</a> with the Chabahar project as more about reaching Afghanistan than about building ties with Iran, and India has in the past cut its oil imports from Iran in response to international sanctions.And Washington appears to be assenting to limited cooperation between India and Iran. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/india-iran-port/india-cracks-open-iran-sea-route-to-afghanistan-bypassing-rival-idUSL3N1NC54V" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a> during a visit to India in October that the US would not block projects to help Iranians (though he stressed that the US would act against financial benefits reaped by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps).Jeff Smith, a South Asia expert at The Heritage Foundation in Washington, told Reuters he had the impression conservative analysts in the US "have accepted" that India and Iran will maintain some kind of relationship."They recognize that for India, Iran is more about a transport corridor to Afghanistan; that it has no interest in advancing Iran's agenda in the Middle East; and that whatever space India evacuates there will be filled by China," Smith <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/india-iran-port/india-cracks-open-iran-sea-route-to-afghanistan-bypassing-rival-idUSL3N1NC54V" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a>.Balancing against China in the Indian and Pacific Oceans is an important goal for the US and India, but perhaps more so for India.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">REUTERS/Romeo RanocoIndian sailors aboard INS Kadmatt arrive for a four-day goodwill visit, aiming to strengthen ties between India and the Philippines, in Manila, October 3, 2017.</div></div></div>China has in recent years developed a string of bases and ports along the Indian Ocean coast and signed on to infrastructure deals with countries in the region - ranging from <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-china-launches-charm-offensive-for-first-overseas-naval-base-2016-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bangladesh to Myanmar</a> to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/indias-concern-with-beijing-expansion-grows-with-sri-lanka-port-deal-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sri Lanka</a> to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-troops-to-overseas-base-operational-security-concerns-for-us-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pakistan</a> to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-troops-to-overseas-base-operational-security-concerns-for-us-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Djibouti</a>.India appears to be taking a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amid-simmering-tension-with-china-india-is-increasing-naval-strength-2017-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">more muscular approach</a> to defending its interests in the region, expanding its weapons purchases - particularly of naval armaments - and investing in its domestic <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">defense</keyword> industry.While India remains wary of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/video-of-chinese-indian-troops-fighting-with-stones-at-himalaya-border-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chinese activity</a> along their shared northern border, its attention now appears to be turning to its southern, maritime approaches."This is a tectonic shift in India's security calculus, that it has to protect its southern flank," Brahma Chellaney, a strategic-studies professor at the Center for Policy Research, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/10/world/asia/india-us-japan-war-games-china.html?smid=tw-nytimesworld&amp;smtyp=cur&amp;_r=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told</a> The New York Times this summer. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/animated-map-changes-way-see-world-india-greenland-texas-united-states-africa-south-america-2017-4">These 10 maps will change the way you see the world</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

You Searched For "Pakistani naval base" and got 10 results

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