China arming India's neighbours to establish influence on sea routes

India needs a friendly eastern neighbourhood to contain China

BEIJING is strengthening the navies of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Myanmar to enhance its military influence in the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean to rival India.

Myanmar Navy commissioned a Chinese diesel-electric submarine into its service on 24 December, coinciding with its 74th anniversary of establishing its Navy. China has gifted the Type 035G Ming Class submarine, which was previously in the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) service. With this submarine transfer, China has now armed three of India's neighbours, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, with which it shares a land border and maritime boundary, with advanced naval equipment. Beijing's move around Indian Marin space undoubtedly demonstrates its strategic thought of challenging India's domination of the subcontinent's seas.

Jocking for influence in the Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean

In recent year's China under President Xi has aggressively made moves and counter-moves to contest India in its backyard. The fight for influence in the Bay of Bengal has led China to sell, in 2017, two Ming Class submarines to Bangladesh at the cost of $200 million while gifting Ming-class Type 035 diesel-electric submarine to Myanmar. In addition, China is one of the key suppliers of military hardware, such as jet fighters to Myanmar armed forces. In December 2020, India transferred a Kilo-class Russian-built submarine, the INS Sindhuvir, to Myanmar to stay ahead of the dragon in its fight for military influence in the region. Commodore Mohammad Abdur Razzak, a security analyst and a retired Naval Officer of Bangladesh Navy, wrote in his piece to Prothomalo, Bangladesh daily, "China's submarine gift to Myanmar has a purpose." Commodore Razzak further adds, ``Myanmar is of strategic importance to the two rival powers; thus, both prefer "Myanmar over Bangladesh for their tactical and strategic play."

Arming Myanmar

Since 2020 Myanmar has got two submarines, one each from India and China, and this shows the strategic importance the two nations attach to it.

However, China seems to have the upper hand with the Myanmar army as it has been aggressively expanding and enhancing the Myanmar Naval capabilities since the year 2000. The Chinese have funded over a billion dollars to upgrade Myanmar Naval shipyards, including building dry docks.

According to Commodore Mohammad, Myanmar has no dispute, be it over land or sea, with three maritime neighbours-Bangladesh, India and Thailand; thus, "its naval programmes are much larger than its geo-maritime reality."

Building Bangladesh Navy

In recent years, Dhaka has obtained large supplies of military hardware from China, as the two nations try to deepen their "defence ties."

In 2016, Bangladesh purchased two refurbished 'Ming' class conventionally powered submarines from China at the cost of about $200 million. Dhaka also received two Type C13 B' corvettes' from China. "Corvettes are small warships, weighing less than 2,000 tonnes, but are capable of carrying missiles, guns and torpedoes. The two vessels for Bangladesh carry anti-ship missiles and a short-range air defence system."

Sakhawat Hossain is a retired brigadier general of the Bangladesh Army and security and defence analyst. He had told BenarNews, an online news service, that China "wants to increase their influence in the geopolitics by enhancing militaries of the three south Asian countries." He further added, "Thanks to China, Bangladesh is now one of the countries with submarines, although conventional in nature." However, there are reports of Chinese military hardware, including naval frigates, air defence systems and trainer aircraft, developing defects. If the deficiencies and military equipment failure are serious, it will expose the Chinese and stem its influence in the Bay of Bengal.

Pakistan China's proxy in Indian Ocean

Pakistan is the largest importer of the Chinese military and has deployed and operates hardware across its three services.

Pakistan Navy received the most advanced and largest warship built by the Chinese as part of its 2017 agreement with Beijing.

The Pakistan government had signed the agreement to supply two Type 054AP Tughril-class warships from China. According to reports, PNS Tughril is fitted with 3D multifunction radar, air and surface surveillance systems, including anti-air and anti-submarine missiles.

Islamabad had handed over Gwadar Port to the Beijing a long time ago.

The military cooperation between the arch-rivals of India is to challenge New Delhi's influence in the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. Pakistani Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque said, "that the commissioning of the PNS Tughril ensures balance of power in the Indian Ocean."

India's geophysical location offers a huge challenge to China's interest in the region, particularly when accessing its sea lines. As a result, Beijing is building a military alliance to tighten its military influence across the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian sea. India has its work cut out; win friends in its eastern neighbourhood to contain China.

(The author is Founder, MyStartup TV)