EXPANDED NAVAL FORCE Photo taken on March 10, 2021 shows the commission ceremony of the INS Karanj, India's third Scorpene-class diesel-electric submarine, in Mumbai, India. It showed India "can mount a credible naval presence in the Indian Ocean region when required at short notice," said Bhaskar, who is a retired naval officer. Beijing and New Delhi are vying for influence across the Indian Ocean, and India has previously deployed patrols to the disputed South China Sea and Western Pacific. "We have no ambitions to say that the Indian Ocean is India's ocean." But he was also confident Beijing had "taken note" of India's rapid response, forcing pirates to "run away like rats."

Source: Manila Times January 12, 2024 16:24 UTC