India conscious of Chinese presence in Indian Ocean region

NEW DELHI: India is conscious of the Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean region and is taking "adequate measures" to make sure that its neighbourhood is not threatened, Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju on Thursday said.

"China being a regional power will make its moves and if we sense a threat to our internal security we will do some counter measures," he told reporters here on the sidelines of homeland security seminar.

However, "we need to give China the benefit of doubt that they are also in their quest to safeguard their sea lanes of communication because they have their energy resources passing through this (Indian Ocean).

"They are taking some steps. We have to make sure that that it is not intrusive and they will not come into our space. Towards that end we are conscious of what China is doing and we are making adequate measures to make sure that our neighbourhood is not threatened," Raju said.

On Beijing acquiring anti-satellite capabilities for space-age warfare, he said India was against militarisation of space.

But space assets would have to be utilised in warfare in the years to come and India was also preparing itself for taking adequate counter measures to this Chinese capability, he said.