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| India Defense Minister A.K. Antony launches the INS Chakra |
India launches first nuclear sub as tensions grumble on over Spratly Islands
Monday, April 9, 2012
By 2point6billion.com
Apr. 9 – China suffered a blow at the recent ASEAN meetings in Phnom Penh, losing a motion not to have South China Sea disputes discussed during the summit. China is not a member of ASEAN, but has been granted observer status and the request to interfere with the ASEAN agenda did not seem to sit well with the 10 countries that make up the Southeast Asian bloc. In particular, four ASEAN countries – Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines – are directly engaged in disagreements with China over ownership of the Spratly Islands.
China has long held a view that the South China Sea is Chinese, and that disputes should only be settled with Beijing directly on a bilateral basis. ASEAN, however, provides a multilateral forum and a bloc that allows disputes to be discussed collectively. Much of the debate focuses on the Vietnamese government’s decision to allow a joint venture between an Indian oil drilling company in blocks controlled by Vietnam. China has criticized the move, suggesting that significant “economic and political risks” await both Vietnam and India should exploration commence.
“China will not dilute its claims over the disputed islands…because nationalism strongly prevails in China,” commented Wu Shicun, president of the state-funded National Institute of South China Sea Studies.
Of the islands and sandbars themselves, China only actually controls a small percentage. The 52 Spratly Islands plus smaller territories are currently controlled by Vietnam (40), the Philippines (9), China (7), Malaysia (5) and Taiwan (1).
In related news, India launched its first nuclear powered submarine last week, the INS Chakra, joining an elite club made up of the United States, Russia, Great Britain, France and China with such technologies. India expects to be operating a fleet of five such submarines by 2020. The INS Chakra is weaponized and will undertake surveillance and deterrence operations off the Indian coast.
“As peace and stability in the region are crucial to peace in the world at large, it is imperative that the Indian Navy maintains a strong and credible naval presence in the region,” Defence Minister A. K. Antony said while speaking at the induction ceremony.
7 comments:
China loses nothing while gaining more as a matter of fact and India can do squat except making a deal with the Viet to make a replica of Angkor Wat, that's about it!
This article is not capturing the whole dynamic of the dispute. There are more forces involved than just the 4 ASEAN countries + India vs China. How could the author fail to include the U.S & its allies, as well as Russia, who has just signed a natural gas exploration & extraction contract with Vietnam right next to Spratty Islands. Russia doesn't really give a rat about Chinese military hardware, many of which are purchases & copies of Russian hardwares. Indian weapons are maybe even more sophisticated that Chinese ones, and let's not even talk about the U.S forces, which will increase its presence in the Pacific with more ships and bases in Philippines/S.Korea/Australia. Of course, don't forget Japan, who is also in sea dispute with China, and has been beefing up their hardware manufacturing and export as well (Nobody questions Japan's ability to make top class military technology). Even in the event of minor clashes, China risks loosing reputation and further isolate itself from ASEAN, who will bet all on U.S & Russia after that. Also, such clash could pose a risk of embarassment of the quality of military technologies as their non-combat-yet weapons will have to go against the best in the businesses from Russia/U.S & NATO/ Japan/ S. Korea.
A rat ass you meant to say 5:52 AM? Am I right? I agree with you.
FUCK OFF AH CHINA
I would not go so far as to saying that 7:26 AM, if I were you...
Please start WWIII.....now
AH 7:30AM AH CHINA AIN'T SHIT
AH CHINA MAY HAVE A GIANT ARMY BUT THEY WILL NOT DEFEAT THE MIGHTY USA AND THEIR ALLIES IN A WAR IF IT HAPPEN OVER A SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE. THEIR ARE THOUSAND THOUSAND PERHAP MAYBE MILLIONS OF BIG GUN AIMING AT AH COMMUNIST CHINA RIGHT NOW. SO FUCK AH CHINA FUCK AH VIETCONG
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