ISLAMABAD – With the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle at the centre,France and India on Friday stepped up their biggest naval exercises as theIndian Ocean’s strategic shipping lanes draw ever more envious eyes.
Without naming the Asian giant, India and France worry about China’sgrowing economic clout and its territorial claims that have caused tensionsin the South China Sea.
“We think we can bring more stability to a region that is strategic, thathas huge stakes, notably for international trade,” said Rear AdmiralOlivier Lebas, who commands the French fleet that includes its onlyaircraft carrier.
The vast majority of trade between Asia and Europe and the Middle East –particularly oil — is carried across the ocean, whileinternet-communications cables straddle the seabed that is rich with itsown oil and gas fields.
The 42,000 tonne Charles de Gaulle is one of 12 warships and submarines –six from each country — taking part in the 17th annual exercises off thecoast of the Indian resort state of Goa.
French authorities say they are the biggest ever since the exercisesstarted in 2001. And the presence of the aircraft carrier, which has justundergone an 18-month refit, is no accident.
– Power games –
Row after row of Rafale fighter jets were launched to deafening roars offthe carrier’s 261 metre (860 feet) runway.
India’s traditional dominance in the Indian Ocean faces a growing Chineseshadow with the deployment of warships and submarines along shipping lanesand the construction of a giant network of commercial infrastructurethrough its Belt and Road initiative, which India strongly opposes.
“China is not an aggressive country” in the Indian Ocean, said Rear AdmiralDidier Maleterre, the head of French maritime forces in the region.
Read Top Stories
“What you see in the sea around China, the reclamation of land on islandsin the Spratleys or Paracels, you do not see that in the Indian Ocean,” hesaid.
The top officer said President Xi Xinping’s building of new Silk Road traderoutes, which includes the Indian Ocean, “is a strategy being put in placethat is mainly economic, with perhaps a dual purpose.”
Malterre did not specify what other purpose, but added that there are”scenarios” in the next 10 to 15 years, “certainly not as big as in the seaoff China, but that clearly could lead to tensions.”
France annoyed China last month by sending a warship into the TaiwanStraits. The ship was intercepted by the Chinese navy and Beijing made anofficial protest, while France insisted it was exercising “freedom ofnavigation”.
French diplomats insist there is no link between that incident and theIndian Ocean exercises.
The links between India and France “are certainly not a partnership aimedagainst any country in the region or any power in the world,” saidAlexandre Ziegler, French ambassador to India.
The Charles de Gaulle is being used again as a projection of French powerhowever. In March, it took part in international operations in theMediterranean against the Islamic State group. From these exercises, thecarrier is to go on to Singapore. – APP/AFP
