'Indian naval presence in Indian Ocean concern for China'

The Indian Navy has turned out to be a 'weak area' for China in the Indian Ocean and the Asian neighbour was not happy with the Indian naval presence there, Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Sureesh Mehta said on Thursday. "Today the Indian Navy is the weak area for China. We are in the Indian Ocean and it is not easy for them to come inside. They are not happy and concerned about this", The Naval Chief told media-persons in Chennai.

On Beijing's help to build strategically located ports in Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, he said China was constructing such "dependency ports" to gain access to the Indian Ocean and to be present in larger numbers in that area".

To a query on China building its military might, Mehta said India has no intention of catching up with China on numbers. However, he stressed the need for India to possess smarter and more sophisticated weapons. "Even if there are 10 ships with us, they should be smarter and better", he said, adding technology should play a active role in ensuring this.