India's BrahMos Missile Appearance
New Delhi - The Philippines' move to acquire BrahMos missiles from India seems very appropriate. Because, after the Philippines acquired the BrahMos missile, China began to show fear and worry. China is concerned that India will market its missiles to other Asian countries. This is particularly the case for Southeast Asia, which is the center of America's Indo-Pacific strategy.
As previously reported, despite the territorial disputes over the South China Sea, Beijing continues to maintain military ties with the Southeast Asian nation, perhaps to offset American and Indian influence in the region.
In recent developments, China has donated non-combat military equipment worth one billion Philippine pesos to the country's armed forces. There seems to be a real shift in China's policy towards the Philippines, following the BrahMos deal which was India's first missile export.
Quoted from Defense Security Asia, the Philippine Ministry of Defense has currently awarded a US$374 million contract to Brahmos Aerospace Private Ltd to supply anti-ship missile systems to the country. The BrahMos are so advanced that there are hardly any major competitors in terms of advanced weapons or on technology and lethality.
In addition, the BrahMos is said to be the next generation of its counterparts according to the manufacturer, as described in the Defense Aviation Spot. China vowed to work with Southeast Asian nations to address issues related to the South China Sea dispute, but said it would not encourage smaller countries to do so.
Quoted from the Eurasian Times, on Monday, China's State Counselor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke at the 5th Manila Forum. Wang Yi said that while each side has its own rights and viewpoints, it is imperative to avoid them holding the broader bilateral relationship hostage.
Interestingly, all this time, Beijing has challenged the 2016 ruling by the international tribunal in The Hague, which notably ruled in favor of the Philippines in a landmark case over the South China Sea issue. This latest move could be interpreted as a broader effort by China to offset India's reach to ASEAN countries as part of New Delhi's 'Act East' policy.
Last month, the Myanmar Navy commissioned a diesel-electric submarine that previously served in the People's Liberation Army Navy. Over the past year, a secret agreement was reached with Beijing to purchase the Ming-class submarine UMS Minye Kyaw Htin, as previously reported by the Eurasian Times.
On 24 December 2020, India presented the Russian-made Kilo Class submarine to the Myanmar navy, to counter Chinese influence in the region. Hindustan Shipyard, a state-run defense shipbuilder, has renovated the INS Sindhuvir, a diesel-electric submarine to be delivered to Myanmar.
With a weight of 3,000 tons, a maximum operating depth of 300 meters and a top speed of 18 knots, the ship is Myanmar's first submarine. Despite shipping the ship from India, China was able to convince Myanmar to buy. Interestingly, Myanmar has been under junta rule since February 1, 2021, when the military toppled the elected government in a coup.
Since then, China has consistently supported the junta regime even though the US and European countries have imposed sanctions on military generals.