India Rejects Joint Naval Patrols with US in South China Sea

[BanglaBhoot]

VOA – March 11, 2016

India has ruled out participating in joint patrols in the South China Sea proposed by the United States. Experts say that India wants to focus on containing Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean and despite a growing strategic partnership, it remains wary of being part of a military alliance with Washington.

The proposal that the navies of Japan, Australia and India could join the U.S. in preserving freedom of navigation in the contested waters of South China Sea was voiced recently by chief of the U.S. Pacific Command, Admiral Harry B. Harris.

But within days, Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar said, "As of now, India has never taken part in any joint patrol; we only do joint exercises. The question of joint patrol does not arise.”

Indian naval spokesman D.K. Sharma underscored India’s position that it only participates in military operations that take place under the United Nations flag.

“The biggest example in contemporary times is the Gulf of Aden patrols. From 2008 onwards when piracy has infested the Gulf of Aden and North Aegean Sea, India has not joined hands with any NATO or any other construct,” said Sharma.

Wary of China’s push in South China Sea, where maritime and territorial disputes are festering, India has shed its traditional diffidence and been vocal in calling for freedom of navigation and maritime security in the disputed waters.

At the same time, strategic experts say that New Delhi wants to be seen as a “neutral player” in an area where it is not directly involved.

Wary of provoking China

Manoj Joshi at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi says India is concerned about the potential ramifications in the Indian Ocean if its ships take part in U.S.-led patrols in waters close to China.

“India is worried that if we do joint patrols with the U.S, the Chinese could do it to us with Pakistan. That is really the worry -- the US navy can operate globally, but India is not that powerful and that same thing could be turned on its head as far as we are concerned,” says Joshi.

Beijing’s bid to expand its presence in the Indian Ocean remains a huge concern for India and has partly prompted its growing defense partnership with Washington.

Overriding Chinese objections, last year India invited Japan back into annual naval exercises held with the U.S. for the first time in eight years.

Planned exercises

This year, the three countries are scheduled to hold naval drills in waters off the northern Philippines near the South China Sea — a move that is likely to irk Beijing.

But for the time being, joint exercises is as far as India is willing to go. “If India and the U.S. have not contemplated similar kind of patrol in Indian Ocean, what could justify India and U.S. patrolling waters of South China Sea?” asks Chintamani Mahapatra, a foreign policy professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.

India’s decades-long border dispute in the Himalayas with Beijing where their armies face off is also likely to hold New Delhi back from wading into the contentious waters of South China Sea.

“We have a long border and it is just us and them on that border. We will certainly stand firm in our position, but we don’t want to provoke,” says Jayadeva Ranade, a China specialist at India’s National Security Advisory Board.

India Rejects Joint Naval Patrols with US in South China Sea

 

[sudhir007]

The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition): Daily News from Korea - India Rejects Joint Naval Patrols with U.S. in South China Sea

India has ruled out participating in joint patrols in the South China Sea proposed by the United States. Experts say that India wants to focus on containing Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean and despite a growing strategic partnership, it remains wary of being part of a military alliance with Washington.

The proposal that the navies of Japan, Australia and India could join the U.S. in preserving freedom of navigation in the contested waters of South China Sea was voiced recently by chief of the U.S. Pacific Command, Admiral Harry B. Harris.

But within days, Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar said, "As of now, India has never taken part in any joint patrol; we only do joint exercises. The question of joint patrol does not arise."

Indian naval spokesman D.K. Sharma underscored India's position that it only participates in military operations that take place under the United Nations flag.

"The biggest example in contemporary times is the Gulf of Aden patrols. From 2008 onwards when piracy has infested the Gulf of Aden and North Aegean Sea, India has not joined hands with any NATO or any other construct," said Sharma.

Wary of China’s push in South China Sea, where maritime and territorial disputes are festering, India has shed its traditional diffidence and been vocal in calling for freedom of navigation and maritime security in the disputed waters.

At the same time, strategic experts say that New Delhi wants to be seen as a "neutral player" in an area where it is not directly involved.

Satellite imagery analysis by geopolitical intelligence firm Stratfor shows overall land, building and military expansion by China on Woody Island in the South China Sea.
◆ Wary of Provoking China

Manoj Joshi at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi says India is concerned about the potential ramifications in the Indian Ocean if its ships take part in U.S.-led patrols in waters close to China.

"India is worried that if we do joint patrols with the U.S, the Chinese could do it to us with Pakistan. That is really the worry -- the US navy can operate globally, but India is not that powerful and that same thing could be turned on its head as far as we are concerned," says Joshi.

Beijing's bid to expand its presence in the Indian Ocean remains a huge concern for India and has partly prompted its growing defense partnership with Washington.

Overriding Chinese objections, last year India invited Japan back into annual naval exercises held with the U.S. for the first time in eight years.

◆ Planned Exercises

This year, the three countries are scheduled to hold naval drills in waters off the northern Philippines near the South China Sea -- a move that is likely to irk Beijing.

But for the time being, joint exercises is as far as India is willing to go. "If India and the U.S. have not contemplated similar kind of patrol in Indian Ocean, what could justify India and U.S. patrolling waters of South China Sea?" asks Chintamani Mahapatra, a foreign policy professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.

India's decades-long border dispute in the Himalayas with Beijing where their armies face off is also likely to hold New Delhi back from wading into the contentious waters of South China Sea.

"We have a long border and it is just us and them on that border. We will certainly stand firm in our position, but we don’t want to provoke," says Jayadeva Ranade, a China specialist at India's National Security Advisory Board.

 

[axisofevil]

We can never make strong decisions.....our enemies know that and act accordingly knowing we will never make hard decisions. Ye, we expect a seat in the UN security council. What a f-king joke.

 

[911]

We can never make strong decisions.....our enemies know that and act accordingly knowing we will never make hard decisions. Ye, we expect a seat in the UN security council. What a f-king joke.

Jumping in US camp blindly can hurt us in long term. Indian diplomats needs to understand the consequences of every scenario possible before taking action. The best bet right now is to stay neutral.

 

[Echo_419]

The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition): Daily News from Korea - India Rejects Joint Naval Patrols with U.S. in South China Sea

India has ruled out participating in joint patrols in the South China Sea proposed by the United States. Experts say that India wants to focus on containing Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean and despite a growing strategic partnership, it remains wary of being part of a military alliance with Washington.

The proposal that the navies of Japan, Australia and India could join the U.S. in preserving freedom of navigation in the contested waters of South China Sea was voiced recently by chief of the U.S. Pacific Command, Admiral Harry B. Harris.

But within days, Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar said, "As of now, India has never taken part in any joint patrol; we only do joint exercises. The question of joint patrol does not arise."

Indian naval spokesman D.K. Sharma underscored India's position that it only participates in military operations that take place under the United Nations flag.

"The biggest example in contemporary times is the Gulf of Aden patrols. From 2008 onwards when piracy has infested the Gulf of Aden and North Aegean Sea, India has not joined hands with any NATO or any other construct," said Sharma.

Wary of China’s push in South China Sea, where maritime and territorial disputes are festering, India has shed its traditional diffidence and been vocal in calling for freedom of navigation and maritime security in the disputed waters.

At the same time, strategic experts say that New Delhi wants to be seen as a "neutral player" in an area where it is not directly involved.

Satellite imagery analysis by geopolitical intelligence firm Stratfor shows overall land, building and military expansion by China on Woody Island in the South China Sea.
◆ Wary of Provoking China

Manoj Joshi at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi says India is concerned about the potential ramifications in the Indian Ocean if its ships take part in U.S.-led patrols in waters close to China.

"India is worried that if we do joint patrols with the U.S, the Chinese could do it to us with Pakistan. That is really the worry -- the US navy can operate globally, but India is not that powerful and that same thing could be turned on its head as far as we are concerned," says Joshi.

Beijing's bid to expand its presence in the Indian Ocean remains a huge concern for India and has partly prompted its growing defense partnership with Washington.

Overriding Chinese objections, last year India invited Japan back into annual naval exercises held with the U.S. for the first time in eight years.

◆ Planned Exercises

This year, the three countries are scheduled to hold naval drills in waters off the northern Philippines near the South China Sea -- a move that is likely to irk Beijing.

But for the time being, joint exercises is as far as India is willing to go. "If India and the U.S. have not contemplated similar kind of patrol in Indian Ocean, what could justify India and U.S. patrolling waters of South China Sea?" asks Chintamani Mahapatra, a foreign policy professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.

India's decades-long border dispute in the Himalayas with Beijing where their armies face off is also likely to hold New Delhi back from wading into the contentious waters of South China Sea.

"We have a long border and it is just us and them on that border. We will certainly stand firm in our position, but we don’t want to provoke," says Jayadeva Ranade, a China specialist at India's National Security Advisory Board.

Non-Alignment pat 2

 

[axisofevil]

Jumping in US camp blindly can hurt us in long term. Indian diplomats needs to understand the consequences of every scenario possible before taking action. The best bet right now is to stay neutral.

Im afraid we will miss the boat or when we decide to jump in, it will be too late. Timing is an issue and one that is a particular weaknesses of India historically.

 

[Abingdonboy]

We can never make strong decisions.....our enemies know that and act accordingly knowing we will never make hard decisions. Ye, we expect a seat in the UN security council. What a f-king joke.

Becoming America's poodle is not how you become a stand alone great power. India will pursue its own interests, joint patrols with the US in the SCS hardly fit that agenda.

 

[$@rJen]

Very good decision... Recently USN officers forcing us to join the patrols, now Defence analysts

India, US must collaborate on South China Sea : Defence Analyst

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google+
• Linked in

Monday, March 14, 2016
By: Hindustan Times



The Cold War between the US and China on the South China Sea dispute is becoming hot. Last month, it was reported that the US and India have held talks about conducting joint naval patrols that could include the disputed South China Sea. The US and India were quick to dismiss the report.

Even though it seems clear that the US and India are not ready for joint patrols, the trial balloon is indicative of the evolving Indian position on one of the key disputes in the Asian strategic landscape. A number of factors are forcing India’s hand. The US itself has been forced to adopt a more robust posture in the Indo-Pacific. The dramatic acceleration in American military commitment to the region is a function of the astonishing rise of China, which is becoming a serious regional military power.

Since most of China’s territorial conflicts are spread across the East and South China Seas, naval force projection has gained uncharacteristic momentum for a country that, for most of its history, had a continental mind-set. China’s maritime strategy and its increasing capabilities may overwhelm the smaller powers in the region. Its singular objective is to deny them any operational space in its oceanic sphere of influence. Against this background, US Prsident Barack Obama’s ‘pivot’ towards Asia represents an attempt to warn China away from using heavy-handed tactics against its neighbours and provide confidence to other Asia-Pacific countries that want to resist pressure from Beijing.

Maritime security cooperation between India and the US has become a strategic necessity. American strategy, according to some in the US, should focus on supporting Indian pre-eminence in the Indian Ocean and closer US-India strategic cooperation.

India has to respond to this burden of growing expectations and it has its own reasons for challenging China. China’s anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden have raised hackles with some in the Indian Navy questioning the need for the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN’s) deployment of two frontline warships and a tanker. If, for China, the Indian Ocean is not an Indian lake, New Delhi’s imperative is to contest impressions in Beijing that the waters east of Malacca automatically fall under the latter’s sphere of influence. India’s naval engagement in the East, therefore, is also a reaction to China’s expansion in the Indian Ocean. The turf war between the two navies, as both nations seek greater roles in regional dynamics, is set to grow.

Indian naval officials and maritime strategists seem to favour a ‘naval forward strategy’ that could extend eastward into the South China Sea and the Pacific Rim. India’s engagements with Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines have become more serious.

Joint patrols with the US or not, India is conceiving a new and more ambitious role for itself in East Asia and India-US interests in the region are converging at an unprecedented rate. It is now up to New Delhi and Washington to take full advantage of these developments.

 

[Ankit Kumar]

We can never make strong decisions.....our enemies know that and act accordingly knowing we will never make hard decisions. Ye, we expect a seat in the UN security council. What a f-king joke.

We did the right thing.

While USA continues to arm Pakistan heavily and at an unprecedented rate, we cannot join hands with such nations.

It sends out an message to Washington DC, That either you get India in SCS or Pakistan in Afghanistan. Not both .

India should engage with china- Chinese people are Asian & they have similar cultural, family and eastern values.

India & china can forget the border differences and work towards safeguarding Asian interest. Its also important for china to have a compromising attitude on south china sea- China should learn to give up some tiny peanuts it it want to be accepted as super power.

Exactly when we ourselves aim to replicate China in economics, how can we do it by doing the things US want. We should stay away.

 

[$@rJen]

We did the right thing.

While USA continues to arm Pakistan heavily and at an unprecedented rate, we cannot join hands with such nations.

It sends out an message to Washington DC, That either you get India in SCS or Pakistan in Afghanistan. Not both .



Exactly when we ourselves aim to replicate China in economics, how can we do it by doing the things US want. We should stay away.

the latest F-16 Sale and the recent announcement about selling more Gadgets and f-16 has lots of reason with India not joining their party.... If India has said yes then US would've disappointed Pakistan.. i think even the Chinese Soldiers entering pakistan occupied Kashmir is also has to do with it. they're communicating

 

[axisofevil]

Becoming America's poodle is not how you become a stand alone great power. India will pursue its own interests, joint patrols with the US in the SCS hardly fit that agenda.

What happened to great powers? They crumble. Why do Indians equate being a friend or ally as a Poodle? Nobody is advocating for India to be a slave or a pet. 15 yrs ago, buying US equipment was not imagined. 10 yrs ago working together on a variety of projects was not foreseen.


The problem is India pursues its own interest with the pace of a snail due to its inability to make hard decisions. Whats the point of having a presence on the UN security council if we can't make a decision. No point.



If China went to war or bullied us, we would have lost land 10 -15yrs ago. There is a reason we ramped up security engagements with the US.


Chinese presence in P_O_K, arming Pakistan to tackle any advantages we have, pearl of strings, Arming of ULFA/NCSN, border intrusions, etc.

 

[axisofevil]

We did the right thing.

While USA continues to arm Pakistan heavily and at an unprecedented rate, we cannot join hands with such nations.

It sends out an message to Washington DC, That either you get India in SCS or Pakistan in Afghanistan. Not both .



Exactly when we ourselves aim to replicate China in economics, how can we do it by doing the things US want. We should stay away.

Let me make one thing clear, for all you guys who make the F-16 issue a big deal have you ever ever taken another look at this issue? Such as the benefits? With all the self styled experts who spew BS on these forums, can't you ever see the benefits?


The US still has a leash on Pakistan. Just imagine if China held the leash completely?


The F-16s won't ever be used in a battle with India. The US has the ability to mess around with the computers in the aircraft. This is about extending US influence in Pakistan at a time when it is jumping ship to China and loosing the war with Islamists in gov't (nukes).

Hey you can never replicate what China has done unless you embrace the US like China did. India does not act and think like China that is our downfall. WE DONT MAKE SHIT HAPPEN. LOOK AT HOW OUR OPPOSITION ACTS? WE CANT EVEN GET CERTAIN RULES CHANGED WITHOUT SOME BS. SOME WILL CLAIM OH AN EFFECTIVE GOVT WILL BE ABLE TO WORK WITH THE OPPOSITIONS. YEAH KEEP DREAMING AND LIVING THAT BS. Certain opposition don't give a f-k about the issues at hand. They only care about their self preservation not India.

 

[$@rJen]

The decision to supply F-16 was made last year-- India Def minister refused the joint patrol in 1st week of march, a month after the Pentagon and US cabinet notified the purchases.

had we said yes to them then the f-16 would've been dropped.... or who knows it was US's master plan to announce the sale earlier itself and then pursue us!!

And their recent anouncment about selling high tech gadgets and possibly 10 more F-16. all are linked.. threatening us to join the patrols

 

[axisofevil]

India have no problem with Pak buying american weapons but India will surely mind American funding Pakistan purchases! I reckon, US have given most of those C-130, Aerostat, radars, Harpoon, AIM 120,hellfire, Helicopters, F16,P-3 orion for free while India pays premium prices for them!

Thats the price we pay for not being allies as I mentioned. We don't want to toe any line, don't want to become part of any friendships, no real allies, etc. Our pride and ego will not allow us to make hard decisions. So we walk this thin rope thinking it will get us somewhere. Hope it works out....I don't see it though

 

[911]

Im afraid we will miss the boat or when we decide to jump in, it will be too late. Timing is an issue and one that is a particular weaknesses of India historically.

I understand exactly what you are thinking. But remember today is China tommorow can be India too. You have already declared America winner in this war.

Its you who need to look at history of US supporting Pakistan against India in every way possible. Assassinations of scientists, flaming communal violence and saperatism in India.

Parikar is testing US's so called strategic relationship by controling the foreign policy of US regarding South Asia by objecting F 16 sales. Do you think 8 F16s make any difference?

In this scenario, India can gain a lot, only if we negotiate rightly this time. Wether we join US today or tommorow, it won't make any difference. So its better to take your time.