Shillong, May 09: Downplaying Chinese naval exercises with Southeast Asian countries in the Indian Ocean, Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta on Saturday said it did not mean that they are establishing bases.
"Navies are meant to do such things. They have to make
friends across various regions. Such exercises do not mean
they are establishing bases," Mehta told reporters here in
reply to a question.
Asked about the passage of Chinese naval ships through
the Indian Ocean to the Gulf of Aden on an anti-piracy mission
in the last week of April, Adm Mehta said, "They were on an
anti-piracy mission for the first time.
"Navies are meant to operate far from coasts. We too have
been in the South China sea for the past two months, and by
this month end we are sending our western fleet to operate in
the Mediterranean and the North Sea."
Stating that India too has friends in the Indian Ocean
like Mauritius, Maldives, Malaysia and Singapore, he said,
"But there is a need to build perceptions. People have to have
a friendly disposition towards you, so that at the time of
requirement you could get help from them."
Referring to the use of boats by terrorists who struck
Mumbai, Adm Mehta said, "At times new tactics come into play
from the other side. Sometimes they work."
"Every day around 5,000 boats come and go on the
Mumbai coast. It is not humanly possible to keep track on each
of them. In this instance (Mumbai attack) there was a problem,
but after that we have taken enough measures to beef up the
apparatus," the Navy chief said.
Adm Mehta, who is also the Chairman of the Chiefs of
Staff Committee, is on a two-day visit to the Eastern Air
Command here, during which he will review strategic warfare
and joint operations in the region.
Bureau Report
