Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

Ezhimala (Kerala), October 12Amid growing India-China power play at sea and efforts to dominate the sea trade, future leaders of the Navy were today given a broad strategic picture of India’s Act-East policy and what to expect from China in the Indian Ocean region.The Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala, which trains Navy officers, today commenced its two-day ‘Dilli series’ seminar: ‘India and Southeast Asia-Maritime Trade, expeditions and civilizational linkages’. The name ‘Dilli’ carries history, the British where running the sea-trade routes around India in the early 1900s, when they set up a lighthouse at this vantage point on the northern-Kerala Coast in the early 1900s and named it ‘Dilli’.INA Commandant Vice Admiral SV Bokhare kicked off the seminar, saying: “The subject has been chosen to teach cadets about the history and economic linkages.”The cadets at the academy will be posted on warships, submarines and flying fighter jets, helicopters or surveillance planes in the coming years.Professor Shrikant Kondapalli, Chairman of East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, suggested that the forthcoming Communist party Congress in China will authorise a greater role for Chinese Military and Naval presence in the Indian Ocean region. Kondapalli, who has authored two books on China, while moderating a session said we have seen the Chinese middle class bubbling, we have seen China’s push in South China Sea.“China has no tactical air support in the Indian Ocean region as it lacks airfields and even a credible mid-air refueling. We will see a more concentrated China footprint in the Indian Ocean. Djibouti (China’s new land base in north-eastern Africa) will solve the issue of logistics,” Kondapalli said.Vice Admiral Anup Singh (retd) former Eastern Naval Commander, delivered the keynote address and argued to move forward in ‘top gear’ to re-kindle the relationship, start exporting military hardware to south-east Asian countries — Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei Philippines. He suggested that Andaman and Nicobar Island be developed for dual use. Last week, the government appointed former Navy Chief Admiral DK Joshi (retd) as the Lieut Governor of the Island.Prof Ruby Maloni, former head of the history department, Bombay University, pointed out to the military importance of the Straits of Malacca (the sea route to China passes through these straits). Citing European author Tome Pires, she said: “There is no equal in the world.” Pires had written this after Portuguese conquered Malacca in 1511.Dr Nazeer Aziz Anjum from the Aligarh Muslim University recollected how the Dutch colonisers issued passes to traders to cross the Malacca. Replying to question from a Naval officer, he said the Indian maritime declined during the Mughal rule as they could not develop as strong enough naval force.