China warships not headed for Maldives: Official

BEIJING: Eleven Chinese warships sailed into the eastern Indian Ocean against the backdrop of a political crisis in the Maldives, where New Delhi and Beijing are competing for influence, though Indian officials said there were no indications the vessels were headed towards the island nation.

The flotilla comprises destroyers, a frigate, an amphibious transport dock and three support tankers, Chinese news portal sina.com.cn reported. The report didn’t directly link the movement of the warships to the crisis in the Maldives but noted that the Indian Ocean region is currently “not peaceful”.

“About 10 days ago, the ‘Navy Blue 2018A’ far-sea training formation of the Chinese navy crossed the Strait of Indonesia and five main warships entered the east Indian Ocean,” it said.

The report also claimed the Maldives government had rejected India’s help in resolving the political crisis.

A senior Indian Navy officer tracking movements in the Indian Ocean region said on Tuesday no Chinese warships were currently charting a course for the Maldives.

The officer confirmed the Indian Navy had spotted five Chinese warships entering the eastern Indian Ocean around 10 days ago but these vessels had moved towards the South China Sea.

China has repeatedly said the crisis in Maldives should be resolved domestically and no country should interfere in the island nation’s internal affairs. In a recent statement, China’s foreign ministry had indicated it wasn’t about to shy away from its new role in the Maldives – fuelled by big investments – despite repeated pledges not to intervene in domestic politics.

Meanwhile, a report in the Global Times tabloid said China has upgraded its “airspace defence” in the western sector to counter threats from India.

The report followed the release of photo by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) showing J-10 and J-11 combat jets conducting an exercise over a high-altitude plateau in western China.

“The Western Theater Command is mainly responsible for mountain warfare at the border area with India. It is significant for China to strengthen control of airspace over the mountainous region,” Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert told daily.

“Considering that India possesses 3rd-generation fighter jets, China’s stationing of its 3.5-generation jets would be able to deal with any current threat from India, Song said.