Amid increasing Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean region, Navy Chief Admiral R.K. Dhowan said that Indian Navy “minutely” monitors the activities of its Chinese counterpart in the region, reports PTI.
Underlining that India's maritime resources are directly linked to country's economy, Dhowan said the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships have been deployed in anti-piracy operations in Indian Ocean since 2008 along with some submarines.
"PLA Navy's activities are minutely monitored by Indian Navy and our belief is that the responsibility of protecting Indian Ocean and our coastline lies with the Navy. Our ships, aircraft carriers are always on alert so that our security is maintained," he said.
Indian Navy downplayed China's assertive white paper on defence which talks about enhancing its naval reach for the first time to "open seas protection" far from its shores, by saying that such vision documents were there for every navy.
Meanwhile, Admiral Dhowan stressed the need for indigenisation of platforms, weapons, sensors and equipment, through the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), public industry, private sector and in-house efforts.
While emphasising that the roadmap for the Navy's expansion and growth would continue to remain anchored on self-reliance and indigenization, the Navy Chief wanted his designers and technical officers to work in close coordination with DRDO so as to develop niche technologies for the future Navy.