Despite the global pandemic at the moment, China is aggressively executing its expansionism in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean, which apart from giving a headache to the smaller neighbors, is also worrying India and the US.
China renames 80 geographical features
Previous Sunday, China renamed 80 geographical features in the South China Sea. Incidentally, most of these parts are covered by the dashed line and is deemed illegal to establish sovereignty over these regions as per the international law. The 80 features include 25 islands and 55 undersea geographical entities. One of these islands includes Sanzhizai, an islet north of the Sansha City.
China’s aggression, even amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic, has started to worry countries like India and the US. An Indian official said: “We are one step away from it all but China’s double standards with regard to its aggressive posture towards its smaller and weaker neighbors and an insistence that other countries remain sensitive to its concerns is becoming more evident.”
China has been in the news since the last few weeks
China’s all-out approach to fulfill its strategy has been happening for the last few weeks. A few days ago, Chinese ships rammed and sank a Vietnamese Ship three-days after Vietnam had protested against China’s sovereignty claim in the South China Sea, in the United Nations. Following the incident, the Philippines also discussed the topic with the United States. The US said that China’s bullying activities have distracted the world’s fight against the COVID-19 crisis.
Regarding the entire scenario, Abhijit Singh, ORF, opined: “For three reasons, the crisis unfolding in the South China Sea has implications for India. First, Chinese militia operations have focused on the region’s western end close to the Indian Ocean Region, targeting countries like Vietnam and Indonesia that India has a close political and military relationship with. Second, China’s expanding presence in littoral coincides with a rise in Chinese activity in the eastern Indian Ocean, particularly the presence of Chinese research and survey vessels in India’s EEZs.
Thirdly, growing operations by China’s deep-sea mining vessels, fishing fleets, and intelligence ships in the Indian Ocean, an indication of Beijing’s expanding economic and strategic footprint in India’s natural sphere of influence. The bottom-line for Delhi is this: once China firms its grip over the South China Sea, it will use island outposts to power greater military power in the eastern Indian Ocean.”
Source: Times of India
