The South China Morning Post reported on October 23 that the recent defense cooperation between India, South Korea, and Australia has drawn attention. According to reports, India's stealth frigate "INS Sahyadri" arrived in Busan, South Korea on October 13 to participate in the first bilateral naval exercise between South Korea and India. On October 9, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh visited Australia, attending the Australia-India Defense Ministers' Dialogue. Analysts believe that China may view such moves as "measures taken by regional countries to address the security vacuum in the context of reduced U.S. military presence in the Asia-Pacific," and interpret them as part of a strategy to contain China. Experts from U.S. think tanks stated that such cooperation will strengthen India's security partner network in the Indo-Pacific region, simultaneously intensifying tensions in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, and prompting China to enhance its military presence. In addition, agreements related to submarine rescue and logistics directly enhance India's sustained combat capability in the Indian Ocean, challenging China's naval power projection and influence. Some analysts pointed out that India is countering China through small multilateral defense engagements, expanding its defense footprint through joint exercises, logistics agreements, and technological partnerships while avoiding direct confrontation, and demonstrating its active participation in shaping the Indo-Pacific security architecture. Lin Minwang, a researcher at the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University, pointed out that such cooperation essentially aims to cope with the strategic uncertainty of the U.S., and it should not be overestimated in terms of its actual impact.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1846786928567306/
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