22vPaX

asia policy
in October, when a joint statement referred to the South China Sea as the
“West Philippines Sea,” a term to which Beijing is averse. 7
India has also increased its maritime deployments in the South China
Sea, signaling a desire for an expanded security role in the western Pacific.
After a contingent of four Indian naval ships completed a two-month tour
of Southeast Asia in June, the stealth frigate INS Sahyadri was sent to the
Philippines for an operational deployment in November. Concurrently, the
Indian Navy has been conducting high-intensity operational exchanges
with the United States—raising the complexity of Exercise Malabar by also
inviting Japan to participate for the latest iteration in October. India has
simultaneously improved its military cooperation with ASEAN countries
such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand, even reportedly
discussing the possible export of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to
Vietnam as a strategic hedge against China. 8
While the Indian Navy’s Pacific strategy is still in a stage of infancy,
New Delhi recognizes the strategic implications of growing instability in the
South China Sea—including the possibility of a skirmish leading to a wider
conflict in the Asian littoral. Since January 2015, when President Barrack
Obama visited India, official statements from New Delhi have increasingly
flagged concerns over the deteriorating state of security relations in the
Asia-Pacific. In a joint vision document signed during the visit, India and
the United States urged all Southeast Asian states to avoid the “threat or use
of force and pursue resolution of territorial and maritime disputes through
all peaceful means”—a less than subtle reference to aggressive tactics by
China in the South China Sea. 9
The need to manage Beijing’s rising ambitions in maritime Asia has, in
fact, been a key driver of the India-U.S. relationship over the past few years.
That Prime Minister Modi chose to release a joint vision document during
the U.S. president’s visit explicitly stating India’s concerns over the South
China Sea was widely perceived as an indication of New Delhi’s growing
resolve in underlining its stakes in the region.
7 Rajeev Sharma, “India Ticks Off China at ASEAN Summit over South China Sea,” Daily O,
November 11, 2015 u http://www.dailyo.in/politics/modi-in-malaysia-asean-summit-south-chinasea-india-china-ties/story/1/7516.html.
8 “India Plans to Supply Vietnam BrahMos Missiles,” Deccan Herald, September 12, 2014 u
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/430576/india-plans-supply-vietnam-brahmos.html.
9 “U.S.-India Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region,” Ministry
of External Affairs (India), January 25, 2015 u http://www.mea.gov.in/bilateral-documents.
htm?dtl/24728/USIndia_Joint_Strategic_Vision_for_the_AsiaPacific_and_Indian_Ocean_Region.
[ 16 ]