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By Ryan Chan
China News Reporter
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India has showcased its naval capabilities in submarine operations during a multinational military exercise in the South China Sea, where rival China claims most of the waters.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Why It Matters
China's sovereignty claims in the South China Sea, which are challenged by the United States, overlap with those of other regional countries, often leading to standoffs and clashes between rival forces. The East Asian power also has border disputes with India.
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Facing China's growing geopolitical influence beyond East Asia and into the Indian Ocean region, India has strengthened its ties with Southeast Asian nations which border the South China Sea in recent years, under a foreign policy known as Act East.
The war games came amid a persistent military presence in the South China Sea, where the U.S. and its allies, as well as China, have deployed forces. An American nuclear-powered submarine struck an underwater mountain while transiting the region in 2021.
What To Know
Singapore hosted a submarine escape and rescue exercise, code-named Pacific Reach, from September 15 to Monday, aiming to strengthen cooperation in rescue operations. Participating units came from India, China, Japan and 14 other countries.
India deployed the submarine rescue mother ship INS Nistar for the drill. The vessel, commissioned in July, is designed to rescue personnel from a distressed submarine using a deep submergence rescue vehicle, a capability only select navies possess.
During a rescue operation, the deep submergence rescue vehicle attaches to a "distressed" submarine's hatch to evacuate personnel and then returns to the mother ship.
The Nistar successfully completed India's first docking of a deep submergence rescue vehicle with foreign submarines in the South China Sea during the exercise, a spokesperson for the Indian navy said on the social media platform X on Saturday.
The docking demonstrated the Indian navy's "growing global rescue capabilities," the spokesperson said. At least three submarines, deployed by Singapore, Japan and South Korea, took part in the exercise.
Rear Admiral Kwan Hon Chuong, Singaporean navy's fleet commander, described a submarine in need of rescue situation as a race against time. "Timely intervention and rescue, with partners within and around the region is of utmost importance," he added.
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What People Are Saying
A spokesperson for the Indian navy wrote in a post on X on Saturday: "This milestone underscores our readiness, interoperability and commitment to global submarine rescue proving India as a dependable maritime partner and a proactive contributor to regional safety and humanitarian response at sea."
Rear Admiral Kwan Hon Chuong, Singaporean navy's fleet commander, said in a press release on September 22: "Successful submarine rescue is dependent not only on having capable rescue platforms and systems, but also consistent cooperation, aligned processes and effective interoperability with like-minded partners."
What Happens Next
It was not immediately clear whether the exercise was part of the Indian navy's preparation for future submarine deployments in the South China Sea.
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