What the China-Pakistan naval exercises mean for India

China is using the relationships it has built over decades with India’s neighbours to unsettle India’s historical and diplomatic ties with these countries.

The navies of China and Pakistan are conducting joint military exercises from November 11 to November 17 in the Arabian Sea. What is interesting is that the People’s Liberation Army has called these exercises a first joint maritime patrol.

The exercises will be conducted in two parts. The first is the shore bases exchanges while the second includes the joint maritime operations. These exercises are aimed at improving the interoperability of the two navies and are one of the largest exercises between the two sides. In the words of Rear Admiral Liang Yang, “the exercise will focus on dealing with contemporary traditional and non-traditional threats in the Indian Ocean Region and to enhance bilateral cooperation”.

These exercises come immediately after India and the United States concluded the annual 2+2 ministerial dialogue and the naval drills between Myanmar and Russia in the Andaman Sea. These exercises also underscore that China is serious about extending its reach in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The region is considered to be in India’s sphere of influence and the growing Chinese presence in the Arabian Sea and the consistent Chinese submarines and research ships docking in Hambantota port have the potential of altering this balance. The exercises are a clear push to underscore the developing naval and blue water capabilities of Beijing, and lay its claims to the IOR.

The exercises are also a major show of the all-weather friendship between China and Pakistan. Beijing and Islamabad have worked together on several regional and international issues, especially when it comes to limiting or curtailing New Delhi’s influence. China has consistently backed Pakistan at every international organisation, especially vetoing Pakistani terrorist outfits against India’s concerns.

The recent undercurrents of bilateral and regional geopolitics tend to go way beyond just being ‘all weather friends’. China has extended large loans to Pakistan. News reports suggest that Pakistan’s debt stands at $67.2 billion — which is $~21 billion more than the World Bank’s estimates. In addition to this, China has helped in building most of Pakistan’s nuclear and conventional military artillery.

These exercises also need a renewed analysis given the ongoing military standoff between India and China since the 2020 Galwan clashes. The relationship is yet to normalise, with both sides failing to make any major inroads towards easing tensions. This coupled with the ongoing positive momentum between China and Bhutan relations further complicates the regional dynamics for New Delhi.

The regional dynamics is full of developments which make Indian diplomacy challenging. Most of India’s neighbours are a part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and thus deeply entrenched economically with China. China, in turn, has used this economic leverage to extend its geopolitical aspirations and further curtail the space of India.

This can also be perceived as a reaction to the warming ties between India and the United States. In the last few years while Beijing and Washington have struggled to maintain ties, New Delhi has gained a renewed centrality in Washington’s diplomacy towards Asia. The talks of the Indo-Pacific and the QUAD have further added to the positive relationship.

The South Asian region is increasingly becoming a battleground for influence. India which regards this as its natural region of influence is consistently being challenged by China to prove its credibility and acceptability. China is using the relationships it has built over decades, especially with Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and the Maldives, to unsettle India’s historical and diplomatic ties in this region.

This also comes at the same time when India is trying to carve a position globally for itself. The major cause for concern for India is that when its relations with the US are moving ahead and it hopes to play an important global role, New Delhi must be consistently worried about its immediate neighbourhood and fear being curtailed in the region due to the challenges posed by Beijing.

(Gunjan Singh is Assistant Professor, OP Jindal Global University.)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.