印度隨著與中國的競爭加劇，開始展示其海軍力量 (2/2)

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

India begins to flex its naval power as competition with China grows (2/2)

AIJAZ HUSSAIN

Thu, February 1, 2024 at 7:26 p.m. PST·5 min read

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China has built up its presence over the years in the Indian Ocean, a key route for its energy supplies. It has the world’s largest navy by number of ships, more than three times the size of the Indian navy. China also operates a powerful fleet of large coast guard ships and what is referred to as its maritime militia consisting of fishing vessels that cooperate with the coast guard in asserting territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Beijing has deepened its engagement in the Indian Ocean mainly through infrastructure deals with India’s neighbors, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and most recently the Maldives.

“The Chinese are looking for more and more naval bases in the extended Indian Ocean,” said Lt. Gen. D. S. Hooda, a former Indian military officer and now a strategic expert. “Seeing that, India doesn’t have any other option but to keep building up its own.”

The Maldives government last week gave clearance to a Chinese research ship to dock in its port. Similar Chinese ships have made port calls in Sri Lanka in 2022 and 2023 amid fears in India that they could be used to surveil the region. India's concerns led Sri Lanka earlier this year to declare a one-year moratorium on foreign research ships entering its waters.

Experts say the growing competition with China is energizing India to acquire more advanced ships, submarines and aircraft and invest more in technology and infrastructure. The navy’s share of India’s burgeoning defense budget, which reached $72.6 billion last year, has increased to 19% from about 14%. The Indian army has traditionally received the lion’s share of the military budget.

The navy has also built strategic partnerships through participation in joint exercises with other nations in the region and beyond.

Baruah, who directs the Indian Ocean Initiative at the Carnegie Endowment, said there is a “need for Delhi’s strategic thinking to be maritime-oriented, not just as an option for crisis response but as a theater to advance India’s most pressing geopolitical and strategic priorities in the Indo-Pacific.”

India, the U.S., Australia and Japan are members of the Indo-Pacific strategic alliance known as the Quad, which has repeatedly accused China of flexing its military muscles in the South China Sea and aggressively pushing its maritime territorial claims. The navies of the four countries regularly hold drills seen as part of an initiative to counter China’s growing assertiveness in the Pacific.

Beijing maintains that its military is purely defensive to protect what it says are its sovereign rights, and calls the Quad an attempt to contain its economic growth and influence.

For Indian naval planners, the South China Sea remains a top concern, with about 60% of India’s cargo passing through shipping lanes in the Beijing-dominated region.

Chawla said India doesn't have “strength to project power into the South China Sea right now” because of the vast Chinese maritime assets there.

“Frankly, if it comes to a shooting war, India does not really have the capability and Quad does not have the mandate," he said. "You know, it’s not a NATO-like alliance yet.”

Translation

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多年來，中國在印度洋建立了自己的影響力，這是其能源供應的關鍵路線。 它擁有世界上艦艇數量最多的海軍，是印度海軍規模的三倍多。 中國還擁有一支由大型海岸警衛隊船隻組成的強大艦隊，以及由漁船組成的所謂海上民兵部隊，與海岸警衛隊合作維護南海的領土主張。

北京主要透過與印度鄰國（包括孟加拉、斯里蘭卡和最近的馬爾代夫）的基礎設施協議加深了在印度洋的參與。

前印度軍官、現戰略專家 D.S. Hooda 中將說: 「中國人正在廣闊的印度洋中尋找越來越多海軍基地」。 「看到這一點，印度別無選擇，只能繼續建立自己的海軍基地」。

馬爾代夫政府上週批准一艘中國科考船停靠在其港口。 由於印度擔心中國船隻可能被用來監視該地區，類似的中國船隻曾在 2022 年和 2023 年停靠在斯里蘭卡港口。 印度的擔憂導致斯里蘭卡今年稍早宣布暫停外國科考船進入其水域一年。

專家表示，與中國日益激烈的競爭促使印度購買更先進的艦艇、潛水艇和飛機，並加強對技術和基礎設施的投資。 印度迅速成長的國防預算去年達到 726 億美元，海軍所佔份額已從 14% 左右增至 19%。 印度陸軍傳統上獲得了軍事預算的最大份額。

海軍也透過參與地區及區外其他國家的聯合演習以建立了戰略夥伴關係。

卡內基基金會印度洋倡議的負責人 Baruah 表示，「德里的戰略思維需要以海洋為導向，不僅作為應對危機的一種選擇，而且以印度-太平洋地區作為推進印度最緊迫的地緣政治和戰略的優先事項」。

印度、美國、澳洲和日本都是印太戰略聯盟「四方會談」的成員，該聯盟多次指責中國在南海展示軍事實力，並積極推進其海洋領土主張。 這四個國家的海軍定期舉行演習，被視為對抗中國在太平洋地區日益強勢的舉措的一部分。

北京堅稱其軍隊純粹是防禦性的，以保護其所謂的主權，並稱四方會談是遏制其經濟成長和影響力的企圖。

對印度海軍規劃者來說，南中國海仍然是他們最關心的問題，印度約 60% 的貨物都要經過北京主導地區的航道。

Chawla 表示，由於中國在南海擁有大量海上資產，印度「目前沒有實力向南海投射力量」。

他說： “坦率地說，如果要爆發一場戰爭，印度確實沒有能力，四方會談也沒有這授權。你知道，它還未是一個類似北約的聯盟。”

So, India is beginning to flex its naval power in international waters in the Middle East. Yet, for Indian naval planners, the South China Sea remains a top concern, with about 60% of India’s cargo passing through shipping lanes in the Beijing-dominated region. Let’s wait and see how India will invest in its naval power.