NEW DELHI: China has upped the ante on its claims in the South China Sea region ahead of President Pranab Mukherjee ’s four-day trip to the country from May 24, objecting to the presence of Indian Navy ships in the region where it has significantly expanded its presence since 2009 through artificial islands and military presence.Indian Navy ships taking part in maritime exercise in the South China Sea is “a matter of concern”, a senior Chinese official, who did not wish to be identified said in Delhi on Thursday night, a day after four naval vessels set sail for participating in Malabar exercise with the United States and Japan.The Chinese official alleged that the Western powers are using the colonial tactics of “divide and rule”. “When there is some trouble in the South China Sea, India is worried. When Indian ships participate in maritime exercises in the South China Sea, of course China will show concern,” the official told a select group of media persons.The remarks come ahead of the President’s visit to China, where he is expected to raise all issues of political, regional and strategic significance including China’s efforts to block India’s bid at the United Nations to get Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar banned as well as India’s entry into Nuclear Suppliers Group, both ostensibly at the behest of Pakistan On May 24 Mukherjee is scheduled to land in Guangzhou, one of China’s most prosperous regions, to seek to attract business and investments. He will be in Beijing on May 25-27 for political dialogue and meetings with Peking University. The Chinese leadership has gone an extra mile for the President, with plans for several official banquets and meetings.Guided missile stealth frigates INS Satpura and INS Sahyadri; INS Shakti, a sophisticated fleet support ship; and INS Kirch, a guided missile corvette, had set sail on Wednesday on a two-and-a-half month long operational deployment to the South China Sea and North West Pacific.The ships will also take part in the Malabar exercise near the South China Sea in the waters of Philippines. China claims sovereignty on almost the entire South China Sea region, a claim disputed by Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. China has upped the ante ahead of UN tribunal verdict in a case involving Philippines over entitlements in the region.While India is not a direct stakeholder in the South China Sea territorial disputes, the country has over the past few years been asking for upholding freedom of navigation and overflight in the region and speaking against use of unilateral moves in the region that will impact stability in the area.The US has recently said that the Malabar exercise is an important element for assessing the maritime capabilities of all the three countries. It has also issued warnings over what it calls China’s growing "militarisation" in the region.American warships and aircraft have undertaken a number of operations in the region to challenge China’s moves even as the US hopes to bring Asian military powers into a closer cooperation.The US has also been pushing for a quadrilateral security dialogue involving itself, India, Japan and Australia.Meanwhile, on the issue of ban on Azhar under 1267 sanctions committee of UN, the Chinese official said his country has made no difference between India and Pakistan’s terrorism. “You need strong evidence. It is not a bilateral issue, it is at the UN. He (Azhar) is not an Indian citizen,” the official said. He said that “terrorism sponsor” as a term for Pakistan was a “too heavy title”.The Chinese official said that it was good that foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan met recently. “We encourage this kind of talk. You don’t have a language barrier and you have been in the same family,” he said.