How does this harm Assam and LOOK EAST policy?> Date: Tue, 27 May 2008
01:29:49 -0700> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected]; [EMAIL
PROTECTED]> Subject: [Assam] China adds to India’s woes> > China adds to
India’s woes> > — Dr Monika Chansoria> Trouble appears to be brewing amongst
the Asian nations, including India, with China building a massive strategic
underground submarine naval base that could house N-submarines and a host of
aircraft carriers on Hainan Island. in South China Sea, south of Hong Kong. The
base, being built near the holiday resort of Sanya on Hainan Island’s southern
tip, was revealed by commercial satellite images on May 3, 2008.> > According
to satellite imagery reported by the Federation of American Scientists and
Britain’s Daily Telegraph, the base has a sea entrance wide enough to allow
submarines to enter the underground facilities with as many as 11 tunnel
openings.> > Beijing seems to have circumspectly designed this new base since
it stands at close proximity to vital sea-lanes in the South China Sea and
Straits of Malacca. The Chinese are resolute to protect this since 80 per cent
of its oil supplies presently move through the channel before traversing the
South China Sea to mainland ports. In addition, the location could give China
better access to disputed territories, such as the Parcel Islands and Spratly
Islands in the South China Sea.> > Furthermore, the Hainan Island underground
base, incidentally, will house the new Shang-class Type 093 nuclear ballistic
missile submarines (SSBNs) and the in-class Type-094 SSBNs. Moreover, the new
Type 094 Jin-class submarines were captured in the images.> > ‘The Jin-class
includes 12 missile silos and will be equipped with Julang-2 submarine-launched
ballistic missiles with a reported maximum range of almost 5,000 miles. The
location of the base off Hainan are expected to give the submarines access to
very deep waters—exceeding 15,000 feet—within a few miles. making them even
harder to detect.> > Refusing to confirm or deny the submarine base, Chinese
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Qin Gang said, “There is no need for the Western
countries to be worried, or concerned, or make any irresponsible accusations.
We have a vast territorial sea and it is the sacred duty of the Chinese army to
safeguard the sovereignty of our territorial sea and maritime rights and
interests. China’s national defence and military building will not pose a
threat to any country.”> > Palpably. these developments are being monitored
minutely in India since New Delhi holds significant security interests in the
Indian Ocean. Expressing security concerns at China’s nuclear submarine base.
Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta said, “Though India is not worried
about Beijing building a strategic naval base on Hainan Island in the South
China Sea, it is concerned about the numbers. Nuclear submarines have long legs
(traversing anywhere between 7,000-15,000 km) and it is immaterial where they
are based.” Apparently, unlike conventional (diesel-electric) submarines,
nuclear-powered submarines have the ability to remain submerged for long
periods of time.> > Incidentally. India successfully tested its 3,500 km-range
nuclear capable intermediate range ballistic missile Agni-III on May 7, 2008.
Agni III is capable of reaching targets in Beijing and Shanghai and is ready
for induction. Although India possesses air and land-based nuclear delivery
platforms in the form of ballistic missiles (Agni and Prithvi), an undersea
platform such as a nuclear submarine, the third leg of a nuclear triad, remains
deficient.> > Indian Navy is considered to be the world’s fifth largest and New
Delhi for years has been pursuing indigenous nuclear-powered submarine
capability, under what is known as the ATV pursuing (advanced technology
vessel) project. Moreover, New Delhi is in discussions with Moscow for a
12,000-ton Akula-11 class nuclear submarine. In case it finds success, India
would be the sixth country to follow the US. Russia. Britain. France and China
to boast of a sea borne nuclear deterrent.> > Crucially, there is a sizeable
section of the strategic community within India that views China as a long-term
military threat, surpassing Pakistan. China’s ‘strategic encirclement strategy
of India’ is of critical significance for New Delhi where in Beijing it has
built the Gwadar port, as an alternative to Karachi, beyond the easy reach of
Indian Navy. Similarly, on India’s vulnerable northeast, China has a close ally
in Myanmar, which will be providing China direct access to the Indian Ocean by
passing the Malacca Straits. In the south, Sri Lanka is receiving special
attention from China, where Beijing is developing the Hambantota port in the
southern tip of the island, which dominates the Indian Ocean shipping lanes.> >
Even though, Chinese nuclear submarines have so far never operated in the
Indian Ocean, this latest facility—which is 2.000 nautical miles away from the
Andaman Islands—will be its nearest access point to the region. Given the huge
volumes of oil movement between the Persian Gulf and the Malacca Straits
towards North Asia, the Indian Navy has been looking to plug this deficiency.>
> Significantly, another crucial factor impinging on Asia’s strategic paradigm
is China’s “String of Pearls” phenomenon that describes Beijing’s rising
geopolitical influence through efforts to increase access to ports and
airfields. develop special diplomatic relationships, and modernize military
forces that extend from the South China Sea through the Straits of Malacca,
across the Indian Ocean, and on to the Arabian Gulf.> > Militarily. the US too
would be intent at maintaining superior military power to guarantee security
and serve as a hedge against a possible future “China threat”. In the “String
of Pearls” region, US efforts are aimed at broadening and deepening American
influence among the regional states, including India. There is an emerging
sense that the growing defence cooperation between emerging , Washington, and
New Delhi could well be attributed to the commonality of the ‘China factor’.> >
The ‘Malabar CY 07-2’ naval exercises in the Bay of Bengal held in the first
week of September last year, precisely demonstrated this and undeniably
represented a major shift in India’s strategic security perceptions. The
exercises were the largest-ever naval exercise in this part of the world, with
as many as 10 warships and nearly 200 aircrafts from five participating nations
comprising Australia, Japan, India, the US, and Singapore.> > Besides, in a
clear departure from the past, it signaled India’s entry into the
‘quadrilateral initiative’, a new strategic security combine in which New Delhi
joins as a key member of the security triad of Australia, Japan and the
US—developments that add on to Beijing’s strategic concern vis-a-vis the
emerging Asian security paradigm. –INFA> Source: Assam Tribune> > > > >
_______________________________________________> assam mailing list>
[email protected]> http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
_________________________________________________________________
Timely update on all current affairs, sports, events and all thats in News here
on MSN videos.
http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-in
_______________________________________________
assam mailing list
[email protected]
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
