Declaration of an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) by China over the East China Sea (ECS) in November 2013 had raised wide spread speculations that Beijing might follow it up with a similar ADIZ in South China Sea (SCS) too. In less than three years thence, speculations are rife again that China may be preparing […]
Strategic Balance of Power is rapidly changing in Asia – often faster than most realise. The increasing defence budget of the Peoples’ Liberation Army (PLA) in keeping with the rapid growth of the Chinese economy and the country’s technical and industrial base has enabled China to rapidly introduce incremental qualitative improvements to its force structure. […]
In February 2016, India’s Eastern Naval Command hosted the International Fleet Review (IFR), underlining Indian Navy’s growing prowess and ambitions. Though it was largely a ceremonial inspection of naval warships by the Indian president, it provided an opportunity to the Indian Navy to showcase its might and rapidly expanding capabilities. It was in 2001 that […]
On 11 April 2016, the President of Maldives, Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom said in New Delhi, “The reason I visited India today is to express my appreciation for the very steadfast leadership India has shown in protecting Maldives in the CMAG (Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group) deliberations. We look at India for continued support in preventing […]
The concept of Blue Economy is gaining popularity among a number of stakeholders including government agencies, scientists, academia, industry, and entrepreneurs. However, there is a need to adopt a holistic approach to develop Blue Economy, and in this context, at least ten issues merit attention. First, there is lack of general information about the sea […]
On 12 July 2016, the Tribunal constituted at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea, 1982 (UNCLOS) issued its decision in the arbitration instituted by the Philippines against China. It relates to the various legal issues in the South China […]
The latest version of Indonesia’s Defence White Paper (DWP) was released in end April 2016. By that time, the Indonesian President Jokowi had completed over a year in office. The DWP says that given Indonesia’s geo-strategic location, it must have a proper defence strategy. The need for Indonesia to bolster its maritime security to support […]
A strong push has been given to the maritime agenda in India since the swearing in of Prime Minister Modi. This is evident from the range of initiatives taken by the Indian government such as Maritime India Summit-2016, announcement of ‘Sagarmala’ project, the push for the ‘Blue Economy’ agenda, outreach efforts such as Project ‘Mausam’ […]
The Indian Navy deployed an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Mk –III aircraft together with aircrew and a support team to Maldives on 27th April, to assist the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) in “coastal surveillance and reconnaissance”. This came close on the heels of the visit of the Maldivian President Abdullah Yameen to India earlier […]
The U.S. President Barack Obama made his maiden trip to Vietnam towards the end of his term in office in May 2016. The visit was to strengthen U.S.-Vietnam relations, as follow-on to the process of rapprochement between the two states, which began after the end of Cold War. Among the significant outcomes of the visit […]
At the Maritime India Summit held in Mumbai on 14 April 2016, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the Sagarmala National Perspective Plan; spelt out his government’s vision and rationale for ‘port-led development model’ which is central to the Sagarmala vision; and stated, “…This will be done in collaboration with the coastal states.”1 Sagarmala […]
The India International Centre at Delhi – considered the hub of cultural and intellectual activity in the capital city, was witness to a unique event on the afternoon of 17 May 16. Organised by the Chinese Embassy in Delhi, the ‘public lecture’ saw six speakers articulate their views on the South China Sea (SCS) maritime […]