China's subs in Indian Ocean no worry for India

Whenever a Chinese submarine appears in the waters of the Indian Ocean, India's media react immediately. In June, a leading Indian newspaper said a Chinese conventional Yuan-class submarine had entered the Karachi port for replenishment. Indian Navy Chief Admiral Robin Dhowan was quoted as saying his force was "minutely and continuously monitoring" the presence of Chinese warships in the region to ascertain "what challenges they could pose for us".

When a Chinese submarine anchored in Colombo last September, rumors had it that the Indian government had warned the Sri Lankan government that this shouldn't happen again.

This is most unfortunate. Chinese submarines in the Indian Ocean are no secret. In fact, they passed visibly through the Strait of Malacca with other Chinese naval ships sailing to the Gulf of Aden. Some in India argue that anti-piracy doesn't need a submarine and China is practicing long-range deployments of its nuclear and conventional submarines on the pretext of anti-piracy.