India expands military ties with US and Russia to put pressure on China

India officially launched the joint counter-terrorism training exercise “Hand in Hand 2018” with China on December 11. The 14-day joint training, taking place in Chengdu, capital of China’s southwestern Sichuan province, will aim to strengthen the two countries’ counter-terrorism operations.

India officially launched the joint counter-terrorism training exercise called "Hand in Hand 2018" with China on December 11. Photo: Getty

In addition to boosting ties with China, India is also conducting exercises with the Russian and US navies and air forces.

India's expanding military ties have "stirred up" China's waters and its regional ambitions, said Collin Koh, a fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

“India’s security and defense engagement with foreign powers could provide Indian forces with additional capabilities to work closely with foreign partners…complicating China’s strategic and operational military freedom, especially in peacetime,” Koh said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Abhijit Singh, head of the Maritime Policy Initiative at the Observer Research Foundation, an independent research institute in India, commented that New Delhi's desire to diversify its military partnerships is driven by the need to maintain its influence in the region.

"Although India seeks to adjust its political relationship with China, many Indian policymakers and experts believe that Beijing is trying to weaken the South Asian country in terms of its influence in the region," Mr. Singh said.

Mr. Debasis Dash, an Asian analyst specializing in strategic issues in the Indo-Pacific region from the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), said: "In fact, China is always in India's strategic calculations, especially Beijing's aggressive moves in both the eastern region of India and the Indian Ocean."

Mr. Dash commented that India could be a reliable friend to Russia instead of China, and India's growing partnership with the US in the Indo-Pacific region will bring opportunities for cooperation between these two forces.

India participates in joint military exercises with Russia and the US. Photo: AFP

Singh added that India’s balancing act could make China more cautious. “If India strengthens its military ties with Pacific powers that are not seen as friendly towards China, Beijing will increase its resolve in South Asia and the Indian Ocean,” he said.

In addition, Mr. Rajeev Ranjan Chaturvedy, an expert at the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore, said that India's promotion of the goal of diversifying military partners could bring balance to the region, in the context of China and the US racing for military advantage./.