Taming the dragon: India is emerging as a powerful player in South China Sea

The good times are over. The era of India remaining indifferent, or a mute spectator to Chinese aggression in the South China Sea is long behind us. Today, China is facing an India which is not shying away from dispatching its naval assets to the South China Sea — publicly so. China has repeatedly tried to counter Indian influence in the Indo-Pacific, and now, it is trying to undercut New Delhi in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). That is an area India considers as its strategic backyard. This has necessitated India to shift gears and take a more vocal stand against Beijing in the South China Sea. A bold doctrinal shift is underway There is a visible shift in the way India is now approaching its Indo-Pacific policy. One could argue there is a doctrinal shift underway, one which is leading India to effectively take the fight to the South China Sea — a region which Beijing illegally stakes complete dominion over. In a sign of that shift, India is stepping up strategic maritime cooperation with a host of Indo-Pacific nations. Case in point being India’s growing partnership with the Philippines. Amidst the ongoing Philippines-China naval standoff, an Indian warship, INS Kadmatt has arrived in Manila for a “goodwill visit”. The Indian warship visit is part of the ongoing Long Range Operational Deployment, which includes a wide range of engagement between personnel of both the Navies. However, the real story begins with what INS Kadmatt is scheduled to do after departure from Manila. In a significant move which highlights India’s foray into the South China Sea on the side of nations victimised by China’s growing aggression, INS Kadmatt will take part in a Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX) in the West Philippine Sea. In a statement, the Indian embassy in Manila said that INS Kadmatt and BRP Ramon Alcaraz, an offshore patrol vessel of the Philippine Navy will take part in the MPX exercise. India’s envoy to the Philippines, Shambhu Kumaran made New Delhi’s intentions clear, as he said that India will continue supporting Manila in calling for the adherence to a rules-based order and respect for international law in the South China Sea. India first entered the South China Sea in May 2019, alongside the US, Japanese, and Philippine navies. Then, in August 2021, the Indian Navy held military exercises with the navies of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Australia and Indonesia. The most significant show of force came in May 2023, when India for the first time sent warships to participate in a two-day joint exercise with the navies of seven ASEAN states in the South China Sea. A month later, India joined hands with the Philippines to call on China to adhere to international law, respect the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and abide by the international tribunal’s ruling in 2016, that had rejected Beijing’s claims over the South China Sea. However, China continues to show scant regard for international law, and its harassment of neighbouring nations is only rising. Tensions between China and the Philippines have grabbed eyeballs in recent weeks, on the back of multiple clashes in the South China Sea. On Sunday, the Philippines said the latest incident of collision happened during its resupply mission to a tiny garrison on Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands, which is a flashpoint for Manila and Beijing. This came a day after the Philippines’ Sea task force said its vessels were damaged after being “directly targeted” by a Chinese coast guard ship that used water cannons to “obstruct” three government boats delivering provisions to Filipino fishermen near Scarborough Shoal. Manila has lodged strong diplomatic protests with Beijing, and even summoned the Chinese ambassador over the clashes. Therefore, for India and the Philippines to undertake a Maritime Partnership Exercise in the South China Sea at this juncture assumes great significance. It is a direct message from New Delhi to Beijing, that if China continues harassing smaller nations in the Indo-Pacific, India would not remain a mute spectator. That India would adopt such an approach vis-à-vis the South China Sea was unthinkable only a few years ago. India is projecting itself as a counterweight to China in Indo-Pacific The MPX exercise between India and the Philippines is not an aberration. In fact, in recent months, India has done a lot to up the ante against China. In November, the Indian Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar openly called out China, and said, “Fragile security situation in South China sea with respect to the growing number of instances of bullying of smaller navies including fisherman by Chinese Militia vessel which poses clear and present danger to good order and discipline at sea.” This is a marked departure from the way India spoke about the Indo-Pacific and China’s role in it only a few years ago. What’s more, India is now actively looking to sell high-end weapons to Indo-Pacific nations. As a matter of fact, the Philippines will soon receive the three anti-ship coast batteries with Brahmos missiles. Manila became the first customer for India’s Brahmos missiles, as it signed a $350 million deal in 2022. Vietnam and Indonesia are also in talks with India to purchase the supersonic cruise missile systems. India is also in talks with the Philippines to sell its home-made fighter jet, the Tejas to bolster Manila’s air capabilities. India has also offered the Philippines’ coast guard seven helicopters, presumably for aiding rescue and relief operations during disasters. However, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. quickly pointed out that the helicopters would be “a big contribution for the PCG’s maritime operations” too. Meanwhile, Malaysia has also expressed interest in the Tejas fighter aircraft. In 2022, India secured the first contract for naval guns with Indonesia. Larsen & Toubro (L&T) secured a contract to deliver 40 mm Teevra naval gun systems to the Indonesian Navy, which marks the first-ever export of the weapon system from India to Indonesia. Furthermore, India and ASEAN upgraded their ties to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2022, which is how the first-ever ASEAN India Maritime Exercise (AIME-2023) took place in the South China Sea in May 2023. China is trying to ramp up its influence in the Indian Ocean Region. With the election of a pro-China government in the Maldives, Beijing has certainly scored a victory against India. In latest news, Beijing plans to work on 200 small-scale projects in the Indian Ocean Region to help nations build their blue economies. That is a cover for what China truly desires — undercutting India’s heft. China must remember that if its efforts to hurt Indian interests in the IOR persist, India too can present itself as an anchor of a rules-based international order in the South China Sea. In fact, New Delhi is already doing so. By selling weapons to countries in the region and engaging in what now appear to be regular maritime exercises in the South China Sea, India is projecting itself as a power that will help victims of Chinese aggression safeguard their interests. China’s policy of hurting Indian interests in the IOR have come back to haunt it as India steps up its activities in the South China Sea. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.