india

Updated: Sep 17, 2019 01:23 IST

Seven warships of the Chinese People’s Army (Navy) are operating in the Indian Ocean region, according to information provided by the Indian surveillance system.

The long-range-maritime surveillance aircraft, the US-made P8i, picked up the presence of the Chinese flotilla. The Indian Navy with the help of its long-range maritime surveillance fleet and Gurugram-based Information Management Analysis Centre maintains a 24-hour 365-day surveillance of Indian Ocean region and helps friendly countries, like Singapore and Vietnam, with information on the ships passing through the region. Indian Ocean region is one of the militarised regions of the world.

More than 100 warships of different countries pass through the region at any given time. The Chinese warships were in international waters, also called “global commons.” China has been sending warships to Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy missions since 2008. The anti-piracy flotilla comprises warships and submarines. Chinese submarines, however, haven’t been spotted in the Indian Ocean region for about year. India’s long-range maritime snooping and anti-submarine warfare have got a boost with Poseidon-8Is.