To prevent China from expanding its maritime power into the Indian Ocean, New Delhi has launched a naval diplomacy campaign to garner support from Australia, Japan and Vietnam, reports China's Global Times.
India's chief of naval staff, Admiral RK Dhowan, began a five-day visit to Australia on Oct. 2, where he held a series of discussions with the chief of the Royal Australian Navy, Vice Admiral Tim Barrett, deputy chief of defense Vice Admiral Ray Griggs, as well as defense minister Marise Payne about future maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean. The talks coincided with the prestigious annual Sea Power Conference organized by the Royal Australian Navy.
Dhowan used the opportunity to engage with the heads of navies from 40 different countries around the globe. Australia is currently one of the staging bases for US military operations in the disputed South China Sea, where China has been building artificial islands in the face of competing claims from the Philippines and Vietnam, among other countries.
Read the full story at Want China Times