India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are holding their first-ever joint military drill in the volatile South China Sea.
AIME-2023
The Indian Defence Ministry said in a statement on Monday that Indian Naval Ships (INS) Satpura and Delhi, with Rear Admiral Gurcharan Singh, the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, arrived in Singapore on Monday to participate in the inaugural ASEAN India Maritime Exercise (AIME-2023). The week-long exercise will begin on Tuesday.
The Harbour Phase of the exercise is will be held at Changi Naval Base from 2-4 May, during which, the vessels will also participate in International Maritime Defence Exhibition and International Maritime Security Conference hosted by Singapore.
India Asean Exercises:
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) May 1, 2023
-Harbour Phase at Changi Naval Base from 2 to 4 May
-Sea Phase will be conducted from 7 to 8 May in the South China Sea
The Sea Phase of the exercise will take place from 7-8 May in the South China Sea. This “will provide an opportunity for Indian Navy and ASEAN navies to work together closely and conduct seamless operations in the maritime domain,” the statement said.
The ministry’s statement also noted that INS Delhi is India’s first indigenously-built guided missile destroyer, while INS Satpura is an “indigenously-built guided missile stealth frigate.”
Both vessels are a part of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet based at Visakhapatnam and “fitted with state-of-the art weapons and sensors.”
#IndianNavy's warships #INSDelhi & #INSSatpura arrived Singapore for Inaugural ASEAN India Maritime Exercise (AIME).
— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) May 1, 2023
Apart from promoting friendship & enhancing interoperability, AIME will reinvigorate traditional maritime links.#Bridgesoffriendship#SAGAR@IndiainSingapor pic.twitter.com/WqtmXxtvlh
ASEAN-India Relationship
ASEAN is a regional grouping comprising 10 South East Asian countries — Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia.
ASEAN countries have always been crucial to India’s foreign policy. Since the free trade agreement in goods was signed in 2009, trade between the two sides has expanded significantly. In 2022, the value of their trade amounted to over $110 billion.
The exercise is significant as several members of the ASEAN are facing territorial threats from China due to its aggression in the South China Sea.
Meanwhile, India, with whom China frequently engages in border conflicts, has also been working with several powers to contain China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific.