Opinion Naval hotline

As rising powers,China and India are building large and powerful naval forces. Even more important,both are looking to operate beyond their traditional waters of interest. From the geographical perspective,India faces the Indian Ocean and China,the Pacific. As their interests become more global,China’s stakes in the Indian Ocean have grown,as have India’s in the Pacific.

As a result,the navies are rubbing against each other more often. It makes sense for Delhi and Beijing to find ways to minimise the potential for friction in the seas around Asia and Africa.

Addressing a press conference last week,the chief of naval staff,Admiral Nirmal Verma,said the idea of a “hotline” — direct and dedicated telephone and fax links — between the two naval headquarters and other maritime CBMs are under political consideration in Delhi.

Until now the focus of the India-China CBMs has been landward. Given their long and contested border along the Great Himalayas,Delhi and Beijing have struggled to develop effective mechanisms for maintaining peace and tranquillity. But as their naval footprints overlap,Delhi and Beijing have every reason to try and prevent the escalation of the inevitable tensions between them.

The CBMs that Admiral Verma referred to are known to arms control specialists as “communication measures” that provide the basis for timely consultation between military authorities and quick de-escalation.

Delhi and Beijing must also look beyond CBMs dealing with naval operations to broader issues relating to the growing suspicion of each other’s maritime strategic intent.

Wooing the Seychelles

If China warily watches India’s deepening naval cooperation with Japan,Vietnam and other Southeast Asian nations,India’s concerns about China’s rising profile in the Indian Ocean have become more acute in recent years.

While Delhi has sought to consolidate its own position in the Indian Ocean,Beijing’s efforts to gain a strategic foothold have been relentless. The Chinese navy’s anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden since the end of 2008 have provided a perfect setting for Beijing to develop special relationships with some critical states in the Indian Ocean.

One particular target of opportunity has been Seychelles,an archipelago nation straddling the vital sea lines of communication between Africa and Asia in the Indian Ocean.

China underlined its strategic interest in the Seychelles in 2007 when President Hu Jintao visited this nation of a population of less than 90,000. Since then there have been intense high-level political exchanges between the two sides.

Last week saw the first ever visit to Seychelles by a Chinese defence minister. Accompanied by a 40-member delegation,General Liang Guanglie arrived in Mahe to a red carpet welcome.

Receiving General Liang,the foreign minister of Seychelles,Jean-Paul Adam,said his government has invited China “to set up a military presence in Mahe to fight the pirate attacks that Seychelles faces on a regular basis”.

During General Liang’s visit,the two sides agreed to renew a previous agreement on defence cooperation. China already trains defence personnel from the Seychelles and has transferred some military aircraft.

It is not clear what is the kind of “military presence” China plans to establish in the Seychelles. If it does come about,Foreign Minister Adam said,“it won’t be the first foreign military presence in the Seychelles.”

The United States has a small facility to fly drones for anti-piracy operations.

Russia has had longstanding defence contacts with the

Seychelles.

India too has stepped up its naval diplomacy with the Seychelles in recent years. A few months ago,Defence Minister A. K. Antony and External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna went on back-to-back visits to the Seychelles,emphasising the importance of maritime security cooperation with the island nation.

Oman and Kuwait

The Omani ports of Muscat and Salalah have become major replenishment and resupply points for Chinese naval operations in the Gulf of Aden. A small Chinese flotilla is in Muscat this week.

It arrived in Oman after the first ever visit by Chinese warships to Kuwait. The flotilla was part of the 9th naval convoy to have completed its operations in the Gulf of Aden since the end of 2008.

The writer is a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research,Delhi