India to deploy naval task force in South China Sea amid tensions with Beijing

The Indian Defence Ministry, on Monday, announced that it will send a task force of four frigates on two months deployment in the 3.5 million square kilometres wide South China Sea. Amidst an increasing shift in the balance of power in the Indo-pacific region, India has announced the deployment of warships to mark its military presence in the region. Joining a range of other countries, Once at the location, they will also engage in several exercises, including Malabar 2021-with India’s QUAD partners US, Japan and Australia. 

Discreet naval operations

According to a US news agency, the task force will include a guided-missile destroyer, guided-missile frigate, anti-submarine corvette and guided-missile corvette. While the ministry asserted that the fleet will leave India later this month, it stopped short of specifying a particular date for the departure. Apart from the joint military exercises, the warships would also engage in discreet work with naval units from South China Sea littoral states, including Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines, the Defense Ministry said.

Earlier, on Monday, Germany has sent its warship to the region with the aim to mark its presence in the disputed South China Sea and express its alignments to the west. According to German tabloid DW, the ‘Bayern’ will set sail for its six months deployment from a naval base in Wilhelmshaven, northwestern Germany, with more than 200 soldiers on board. Additionally, the frigate will dock on the way at the ports of its allied partners including in Djibouti, Karachi, Guam, Perth, Tokyo, and Shanghai. In a statement, German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said that the move is meant to uphold ‘freedom of navigation' in international waters, a call repeatedly made by the US.

Last week, UK Defence Journal reported that the British aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, and its Carrier Strike Group have entered the South China Sea. Tensions have been building in the region, with many countries accusing Beijing of using the resource-rich waterway to intimidate them. Chinese air and sea patrols have been warning ships away from the area, which Beijing believes to be part of its own territorial seas. However, five other governments claim all or part of the sea, through which approximately $5 trillion in goods are shipped every year.

 (Image: PTI)