- India is playing its South China Sea card (SCS) by restarting oil exploration off Vietnam coast at the invitation of Hanoi.
- China has lodged official protests against it clamming whole of the SCS as its own which is disputed by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.
- An article in Global Times said that India is playing the card of the South China Sea issue so that Beijing makes compromises on the border disputes or on Pakistan-related issues.
- India states that the ONGC move is a commercial operation.
- It stated that India’s maritime strategy currently focuses on Influencing ‘Indo-Pacific’ by preparing for the upcoming Exercise Malabar.
- Exercise Malabar is a joint naval drill involving the US, Japan and India, in the Indian Ocean in this October.
- China is also enhancing its relationship with countries within the region, including Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Maldives.
- In recent news it is stated that Pakistan is going to buy eight submarines from China and India fears that this will disturb the balance in the Indian Ocean
Source: Defence News