M A I N   N E W S

Dragon closing in on India?
Ajay Banerjee/TNS

New Delhi, October 2
Even as the ongoing race for military supremacy between India and China becomes more and more competitive, the Chinese have been making incisive inroads into Asian countries neighbouring India in the past two weeks.

In the least 10 days, China has gone ahead and set up an in-house training facility for Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft pilots of the Indonesian Air Force at the Hasanuddin Air Base where the unit is based. Indonesia had also approached India to train its pilots but sources told The Tribune that the proposal was pending with the Ministry of Defence, which was still “studying” the request.

Apart from Russia, India and China are the two major countries operating the Russian Sukhoi-30s. In the past 12 months, Indonesia has acquired 10-odd Sukhoi-30 and Sukhoi -27 and is looking to buy 16 more.

India already trains Malaysia’s Sukhoi-30 pilots. The Singapore Army has a tie-up with the Indian Army to practice on Indian soil using cantonments and firing ranges.

Sources said the Russians were not pleased with the Chinese inroad into Indonesia. For India, it strategically means a lost chance to cement ties with Indonesia. Both Indian and Indonesian navies often practice together.

Chinese pilots, on the pretext of training Indonesians, will now be flying much closer to the Andaman Nicobar Islands, some 150 miles away from Indonesia. Crucially, almost all of China’s sea-borne imported crude oil trade and a large part of its export trade is carried out through the 500-mile wide Strait of Mallaca. China has been fidgety about India’s proximity to these crucial shipping lanes and has developed its Navy to tackle exigencies.

As if this were not enough, the Chinese have also made an inroad into Myanmar. Two weeks ago, Myanmar finally agreed to allow China to use its land to build a highway to connect Kunming in its south-east with Chittagong in Bangladesh. Once built, the highway will allow China first-ever direct access to the Bay of Bengal. The highway will run very close to the North-Eastern Indian states of Tripura and Mizoram.

On September 15, China announced “firm assistance” to Bangladesh to set up a deep-sea port at Sonadia in Cox’s Bazar in south-eastern Bangladesh. The two countries signed a defence agreement in May while Myanmar already has one with China. The Chinese are also aiding Bangladesh to launch its own telecom satellite at a cost of $300 million. India’s eastern neighbour announced its intent last week even though the satellite will take some 24 months to launch.

Lastly, Pakistan - China’s key ally - received delivery of the third of the F22-P frigates, PNS Saif, on September 15. The Chinese handed over three such ships within 12 months, raising eyebrows at the pace of construction. India takes about four years to build one such ship.

China’s Circle

Myanmar & B’desh: China to build a highway to connect Myanmar with Bangladesh

India’s worry: The highway will run very close to Tripura and Mizoram & China will get first-ever direct access to the Bay of Bengal

Indonesia: China sets up training facility for Indonesian Air Force’s Sukhoi-30 pilots at the Hasanuddin Air Base there

India’s worry: Chinese pilots will fly much closer to the Andaman Nicobar Islands, 150 miles from Indonesia