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| concept art of he INS Vikrant, currently under-construction using a Ski-Jump |
The technology provided by the United States to India does not only help to prevent the People's Liberation Army from entering Indian Ocean, but also to reduces Russian influence in the region, according to China's nationalist tabloid, the Global Times.
Russia has been a major supplier of weaponry to China, India and Vietnam since the days of Cold War. Despite territorial disputes between China and India, Russia has been attempting to establish a stable alliance with both nations, to counter the West. A meeting between Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister and his Chinese and Indian counterparts, Wang Yi and Sushma Swaraj was held on Feb. 2 in Beijing to strengthen the cooperation among those three nations.
Facing the direct threat of Chinese maritime expansion into the South China Sea and Indian Ocean, India sought helps from the US for the construction its new aircraft carrier, INS Vishal. Unlike other aircraft carriers belonging to the Indian Navy, the INS Vishal's designs are inspired more by America than Russia. It is likely to be built with the angled flight decks currently used aboard different classes of US aircraft carriers, including the USS Gerald R Ford and USS Nimitz.
Read the full story at Want China Times