The Indian Ocean is rapidly becoming one of China’s largest areas of ocean exploration, according to a new analysis by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies of hundreds of thousands of hours of shipping data since 2020. Shown.tied The People’s Liberation Army and the Chinese government’s military-civil fusion program is a national strategic plan to advance China’s military by acquiring technology and research from civilian entities.
The types of marine research carried out by ships have research applications such as: Analysts say the data collected can also be used for military purposes, such as learning how submarines operate and hide during conflicts.
The CSIS report says all 13 vessels conducting the majority of research and research operations in the Indian Ocean since 2020 have ties to the Chinese military, including organizational ties to the People’s Liberation Army. There was found. It displayed suspicious behavior, including docking at a Chinese military port and temporarily turning off its tracking device.
“The Indian Ocean is critical not only to China’s strategic and economic interests, but also to its geopolitical competition with India,” said Matthew Hunaiolu, a senior research fellow at CSIS who worked on the report. . “Beijing is serious about developing a blue-water navy operating in the Indian Ocean, and blurring the lines between the research ecosystem and the national security apparatus will help China get there. .”
China has the world’s largest civilian research fleet, with at least 80% of the 64 civilian research vessels operating around the world since 2020 linked to military objectives, according to a CSIS report. It is said that there are “warning indicators” indicating that the More than half of the suspected vessels were operating in the South China Sea, but a growing presence in the Indian Ocean has also heightened tensions.
Last week, Sri Lanka declared a moratorium on Chinese research vessels entering its waters, following what analysts said was intense pressure from India. New Delhi has expressed concern that the research vessels, some of which were previously docked in Sri Lanka, are being used to monitor waters and sites in India’s sphere of influence. Analysts say Sri Lanka received nearly $12 billion in loans from China between 2000 and 2020 and is struggling to balance the competing demands of Beijing and New Delhi.
“India has conveyed its grievances to Sri Lanka. Some of these ships are too close to Indian territory and Indian interests for their comfort,” said a former Indian naval officer based in New Delhi. said Abhijit Singh, a senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation think tank. “Roughly speaking, this is the real fear: China is trying to improve its combat capabilities by studying the environment in these waters.””
The Chinese embassy in India did not respond to requests for comment.
Against the backdrop of China’s growing military presence, the Biden administration has in recent years strengthened ties with India, including stepping up the activities of the Quad, a group that includes India, Japan, Australia and the United States, focused on security and economic interests. We have been working to strengthen security relations. In the Indo-Pacific region.
The White House has sought to show that ties with New Delhi remain strong despite recent spat over an assassination attempt on a Sikh separatist by an Indian government official. soil. Last month, US National Security Advisor John Finer led a delegation to India to strengthen partnerships in the technology sector.
Much of the attention to China’s growing military presence in the Indo-Pacific has focused on its large naval vessels and increasingly aggressive aircraft maneuvers. Near Taiwan. But below the sea, Beijing is also working to expand a low-profile network of submarine defense systems and maritime surveillance equipment that would be critical in supporting maritime defense and protecting supply routes in the event of war. .
The Indian Ocean is an important waterway for Beijing’s interests, and in recent years China has built or expanded facilities from Djibouti to Pakistan. Although China has sought to supplement its maritime supply lines with land-based alternatives in recent years, significant amounts of crude oil and natural gas supplies still need to be moved from Africa and the Middle East through the Indian Ocean, including the difficult Strait of Malacca. There is. A strait between Indonesia and Malaysia that connects the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea.
“While some call this behind China’s strategic interests, it simply means that if a war breaks out on Taiwan, China’s energy security supplies could easily be disrupted.Then all wars–Production capacity may be halted,” Colin Coe said. Senior Researcher at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Relations, Singapore.
China’s submarine fleet is growing rapidly. Last year, in its annual report on China’s military power, the Pentagon said China currently has about 60 submarines, including 12 nuclear-powered submarines, and that the total number of Chinese submarines will rise to 80 by 2035. He said he expected the number to increase. It has already expanded into the Indian Ocean.
Last year, the US, UK and Australia announced plans to deploy their own nuclear-powered submarines to Canberra as part of a landmark agreement called AUKUS to counter China’s growing presence in the region. .
“If you are serious about conducting submarine operations in the Indian Ocean, you need a good knowledge not only of the seabed, but also of ocean currents, water layers, and salinity. ‘You’re on a submarine,’ said David Brewster, a senior research fellow at Australian National University’s National Security College.
China is not alone in deploying ocean research vessels, but opaque relationships between the military, civilian and academic communities mean data collected in the Indian Ocean and around the world has double meaning. There are suspicions that this is the case.–Use the application. In some cases, the link between the mission and China’s national security objectives is made clear.
In 2020, the Chinese research vessel Xiangyanghong 06 sailed more than 6,000 miles It spent 110 days exploring vast areas of the Indian Ocean. Meanwhile, China has deployed underwater gliders and floats, equipment to obtain complex data about the marine environment, as part of a national project called “Two Oceans One Sea.” According to a description posted by China’s national research group, the project is a device to collect complex data about the marine environment. Strategic needs, including “security and military activities.”
In October 2023, another research vessel “Juen 06”, carried out 4–Lunar mission in the eastern Indian Ocean. The ship was operated by the South China Sea Research Institute, which has been providing technical support to Beijing’s military expansion in the South China Sea.
Analysts say the ship’s actions in the Indian Ocean and elsewhere can indicate its involvement with military organizations. “Certain indicators can fill gaps in our knowledge. If it’s in port, that’s a red flag,” CSIS’s Funaiole said. “If a vessel regularly goes dark before entering another country’s exclusive economic zone, that is also a red flag.”
The Department of Defense has noted the PLA Navy’s growing presence in the Indian Ocean, including expanded submarine activity. “The PLA Navy has also conducted submarine deployments to the Indian Ocean, demonstrating the PLA’s growing closeness in the region. [People’s Republic of China’s] interest in protecting [sea lines of communication] “Beyond the South China Sea,” the 2023 report said. Military report on China.