Navy Chief 145;concerned146; over new Pak port

The Gwadar port being built by Pakistan with Chinese assistance in its Baluchistan coast has 8220;serious strategic implications for India8221;, Naval Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta has said.

Delivering the T S Narayanaswamy Memorial lecture here on Monday night, Admiral Mehta said the challenge for India was to balance relations with China in such a manner that competition for strategic space in the Indian Ocean leads to cooperation rather than conflict. 8220;The pressure for countries to cooperate in the maritime military domain to ensure smooth flow of energy and commerce on the high seas will grow even further,8221; he said speaking on 8216;Oceanic Influence on India8217;s Development in the Next Decade8217;. Talking about 8216;Chinese designs on the Indian Ocean8217;, Admiral Mehta said China had a strategy called 8216;String of Pearls8217;, by which it seeks to set up bases and outposts across the globe, strategically located along its energy lines, to monitor and safeguard energy flows.8220;Each pearl in the string is a link in a chain of Chinese maritime presence,8221; he said.

8220;Among other locations, the string moves northwards up to Gwadar deep sea port on Pakistan8217;s Makran coast.

A highway is under construction joining Gwadar with Karachi and there are plans to connect the port with the Karakoram Highway, thus providing China a gateway to Arabian Sea,8221; he said.