EAM Jaishankar raises concern over "steady increase in Chinese naval presence" in Indian Ocean

Sep 27, 2023

New York (USA), September 27 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar raised concern over the "steady increase in Chinese naval presence" in the Indian Ocean and called "to prepare for a far greater presence of Beijing than seen ever before." Speaking at the ‘Discussion at Council on Foreign Relations’ in New York, Jaishankar said, "Last 20 -25 years, there has been a steady increase in the Chinese naval presence and activity in the Indian Ocean, but there has been a very sharp increase in the size of Chinese naval. When you have a very much bigger navy, that navy is going to be visible in terms of its deployment somewhere.” He added, “We obviously do watch many of them very carefully for any security implications...From an Indian point of view, it’s very reasonable for us to prepare for a far greater Chinese presence than we have seen before."