Beijing: India should be transparent on
its military intentions in the region, including in the Indian
Ocean to "ease the nerves" of its neighbours, a leading
state-run Chinese newspaper said on Monday.
"A leading regional power, India intends to assume a
bigger role in South Asia. But that raises the question of how
India is going to use its increasing power.
The dominance India is seeking has to be conducive to
the equilibrium of the current international order" the Global
Times said in an editorial.
Nobody wants to see piracy running wild in the Indian
Ocean. But India needs to make clearer its military intentions
to ease the nerves of its neighbours," the newspaper, a sister
publication of the `People`s Daily`, the mouthpiece of the
ruling Communist Party of China said.
Reacting to Minister of State for Defence Pallam
Raju`s statement that India`s navy would help China secure
shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean, the paper said, "A promise
of protecting the public good in the region is a good start."
"We hope Raju`s remarks are more than just a
diplomatic posture made for temporary convenience, and instead
represent a genuinely positive response to China`s position
that the two countries have to find a way to cooperate. That
would demonstrate that India is considering seriously new ways
of cooperating with China," the paper commented.
"Worry about China competing for dominance of the
Indian Ocean runs deep inside India. Such worries are
unnecessary," the paper said.
PTI
