India has recently reignited controversy over the South China Sea. Earlier, India had unilaterally announced that it had taken back China's disputed territory and conducted patrols in Philippine waters. According to the latest information, an anti-submarine frigate of the Indian Navy recently visited Manila, the capital of the Philippines, and cooperated with a missile frigate of the Philippine Navy to conduct a cruise in the South China Sea. Indian Ambassador to the Philippines Kumaran said in his speech that the visit will further strengthen cooperation between India and the Philippines in the military field. Kumaran also referred to the ongoing dispute between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, accusing Chinese ships of "violating" Philippine rights and interests, and demanding that China abide by international law.
Maritime affairs are an important area of China-India relations, and the South China Sea dispute is undoubtedly one of the sensitive topics. India's involvement is bound to trigger more contradictions and conflicts in the region's turmoil. India's impetus for implementing its South China Sea policy comes from two main sources. First, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it clear that his goal is to make India a world power. In order to achieve this, India needs to show its presence on various hot-button issues around the world, and the South China Sea dispute has naturally become one of Modi's focuses. Second, the United States sees India as an important partner in achieving the goals of its Indo-Pacific Strategy. In order to promote the "Indo-Pacific strategy", the United States has been inviting India to participate more actively in Pacific affairs. India's participation in the South China Sea can not only show its cooperative attitude towards the United States, but more importantly, it can contain China in the region and provide support for India to gain the initiative in border disputes.
India's involvement in the South China Sea is not just for political purposes. The Indian Navy's patrols in the South China Sea are aimed at demonstrating its military prowess to the world and opening up the arms sales market. India hopes to use the Philippines to contain China, expand the South China Sea dispute, and force China to divert resources and energy, thereby weakening China's competitive advantage with India in the land domain. India's arms with the Philippines** are also part of India's attempt to tap into the arms market in Southeast Asia. Indian arms already have a certain foundation in the Philippine market, and the Philippines' demand for Indian arms is gradually increasing, which makes India have a greater incentive to sell its own equipment.
While India's South China Sea strategy has its own agendas, such actions could trigger more regional tensions and pose new challenges to Sino-Indian relations. China will not sit idly by and will certainly take steps in response to India's actions. The South China Sea dispute is already a complex and sensitive issue, and all parties should exercise restraint and prudence, resolve the dispute through dialogue and consultation, and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability.
In short, India's unilateral "reclaim" of the disputed territory has further escalated the dispute in the South China Sea by making moves in the South China Sea and approaching the Philippines. India's involvement is both to achieve its own strategic objectives and to gain greater benefits in the Philippine arms market. However, such actions will not only exacerbate regional tensions, but also have a negative impact on Sino-Indian relations. We hope that all parties will exercise restraint, resolve disputes through dialogue and consultation, and jointly maintain stability and peace in the South China Sea.