Warships from China and India arrive in Colombo and cause waves

India and China are intensifying their hold on the Indian Ocean Region, with Indian warship INS Mumbai and three Chinese vessels docked in Colombo. China’s intensifying naval presence, particularly in Sri Lanka, is a major hurdle to India.

The ‘Great Game’ for strategic dominance in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) between India and China persists as their troops remain locked in a military confrontation along the land borders.

Three Chinese warships arrived at Colombo on Monday morning while a frontline Indian warship, guided-missile destroyer INS Mumbai was also present there; making some waves in that vicinity.

As reported by an Indian defence establishment officer of the fact that Chinese warships, including their anti-piracy escort forces, were now staying in IOR for much longer time than before,” said one defence establishment officer from India never referenced.

“The greater naval foot-print of China within IOR together with its search for extra logistical turnaround facilities posed an immense challenge to India,” he concluded. To put it bluntly, with 140 ships within its fleet the Indian Navy does need enough force levels so as “take care” of Pakistan and “deter” China from entering into IOR.

The Indian Navy has been closely monitoring the three Chinese warships, namely destroyer Hefei and landing platform docks (amphibious ships) Wuzhishan and Qilianshan, with almost 1,500 crew members from their entry to IOR until they docked in Colombo on Monday morning.

INS Mumbai presided over by Captain Sandeep Kumar and having onboard 410 sailors arrived at Sri Lankan shores along with other Chinese vessels according to naval traditions. The two navies are still set to hold separate "passage exercises" on their departure that corresponds on August twenty-ninth.

After losing out to Beijing in Maldives where Mohamed Muizzu’s government signed a defence cooperation pact with China making India withdraw its military personnel operating Dornier aircrafts and two advanced light helicopters, Chinese warships docking at Colombo will definitely not be easy for New Delhi. In the past, India has protested against Colombo allowing docking of Chinese spy vessels and submarines.

The eyes of the world are now on the Sri Lankan presidential elections which are set for September 21 as a strategic tussle rages. According to the available evidence, Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe is still a better bet for India compared to Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the National People’s Power party that appears to be pro-China.

With its navy being the largest in the world with over three hundred sixty warships and submarines, China has steadily increased its undersea awareness within Indian Ocean Region (IOR) by almost permanently deploying survey and research spy vessels there so as to map out navigational oceanographic data useful for navigation as well as submarine operations Mikkelsen revealed earlier (TOI).

China-Pakistan coalescence along maritime corridors raises serious concerns too. To make sure that Pakistan has an ironclad naval force, it has already transferred four Type 054A/P multi-role frigates to them while waiting on eight Yuan class diesel electric submarines also in the pipeline. “By 2028-29, Pakistan will have similar assets like India’s Western Naval Command,” said one such officer.