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The PLA ballistic missile, satellite tv for pc monitoring and seabed mapping ship Yuan Wang 5 entered the Indian Ocean Area on December 5 and exited by means of Sahul Banks, north-west of Australia, on December 12 apparently in a mission to trace Chinese language house exercise.
Whereas Yuan Wang 5 is heading in direction of Sanya Port on Hainan Island, which harbors China ballistic missile nuclear submarine base, the frequent exercise of Yuan Wang class of strategic monitoring ships signifies that PLA Navy is mapping the Sunda and Lombok Straits for future submarines operations within the Indian Ocean.
Final month, Yuan Wang 6 was surveying across the Lombok Straits and went all the way down to 5000 km lengthy Ninety East ridge—from Bay of Bengal to South East Indian Ridge– of the Indian Ocean earlier than returning to Shanghai port. Sister ship Yuan Wang 5 docked at China leased Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka in August after which proceeded south to prospect the identical ridge earlier than going again to dwelling port in Shanghai.
Though many previously have dismissed these Chinese language actions as prospecting for heavy metals within the Indian Ocean mattress, the motive clearly is to map the ocean mattress for nuclear submarine operations utilizing Sunda, Lombok and Ombi-Vetar straits close to Australia. Chinese language submarines should floor in the event that they use Malacca Strait, the shortest route from the South China Sea to the Bay of Bengal. And that’s why Yuan Wang 5 is headed in direction of Sanya port, close to Yulin submarine base on Hainan Island.
All of the above Malacca, Sunda, Lombok, Ombi-Vetar straits are underneath the jurisdiction of Indonesia and that’s the reason why the Indonesian President was the primary one to fulfill President Xi Jinping in July 2022 after the Winter Olympic video games and as a consequence of Covid pandemic in China.
The opposite cause for ocean mattress mapping and topography round these straits is for future anti-submarine operations as Australia will probably be buying US constructed nuclear energy typical armed assault submarines underneath the AUKUS pact. Apart from, China can be exploring various sea routes to japanese board of Africa and the Center-East for commerce. These routes will probably be bypassing the 9 diploma and 10-degree channels close to Lakshadweep and Andamans and Nicobar Islands monitored by India.
Whereas the Indian military-civilian paperwork is taking its personal time in growing deep sea ports and jetties on India’s Island territories, China goes full steam forward as a part of its increasing naval footprint in Indian Ocean.
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