RESTRICTIONS: NONE For story suggestions please contact tips@nma.com.tw India is sending military assistance to the Maldives, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Mauritius to counter China’s influence in the Indian Ocean. China’s forays into the Indian Ocean have sparked concern in New Delhi, prompting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to strengthen India’s relationship with four nearby island nations. India is sending a 1,300-tonne patrol vessel, the Barracuda, to Mauritius on March 12 and plans to send an additional 13 vessels within the next year. India will also fit all four islands with surveillance radars and ocean mapping capabilities. India has increased the foreign investment cap in its domestic defense industry to 49 percent from 26 percent and increased defense spending by 12 percent over last year to 2.29 trillion Indian rupees ($38.35 billion) for 2014-15. With the new budget, India plans to construct four warships in Mumbai and three in Kolkata, along with six nuclear-powered submarines. As part of an effort to expand India’s sphere of influence into Southeast Asia, New Delhi also has plans to send two patrol vessel to Sri Lanka, two frigates to the Philippines and 10 patrol vessels to Vietnam. China’s military has expanded its geographical reach in Asia over the past several years. Chinese submarines have conducted lengthy trips into the Indian Ocean near the Maldives, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Mauritius. China has also built seaports and power plants on several of the islands as part of China’s “Maritime Silk Road.” RUNDOWN SHOWS: 1. China sending submarines to the Indian Ocean and building seaports and power plants on islands in the Indian Ocean 2. India building seven warships and six nuclear-powered submarines 3. India sending 14 patrol vessels to Mauritius 4. India building surveillance radars on the island nations 5. India sending frigates and patrol vessels to countries in Southeast Asia VOICEOVER (in English): India is sending military assistance to countries in the Indian Ocean to counter China’s influence. China’s forays into the Indian Ocean have sparked concern in New Delhi, prompting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to strengthen India’s relationship with its four island neighbors in the region. Chinese submarines have conducted lengthy trips into the Indian Ocean near the Maldives, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Mauritius. China has also developed plans for seaports and power plants on several of the islands as part its ‘Maritime Silk Road’ project. New Delhi has eased foreign investment limits in Indian defense firms and plans to construct four warships in Mumbai and three in Kolkata, along with six nuclear-powered submarines as part of a multi-billion-dollar effort to upgrade its military. India is sending a 1,300-tonne patrol vessel to Mauritius on March 12, and plans to send another 13 vessels within the next year. India will fit the island nations with surveillance radars and ocean mapping capabilities. As part of an effort to expand India’s sphere of influence into Southeast Asia, New Delhi also has plans to send two patrol vessel to Sri Lanka, two frigates to the Philippines and 10 patrol vessels to Vietnam. India boosted defense spending for the current fiscal year by 12 percent over the previous year after Prime Minister Modi took office in May. The country may soon have the fourth-largest defense budget in the world. SOURCES: Reuters, Gulf News, The Wall Street Journal, Indian Express, Reuters http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/05/us-india-modi-islands-idUSKBN0M10BL20150305 http://gulfnews.com/news/world/india/india-clears-8b-plan-to-build-warships-1.1459607 http://www.wsj.com/articles/foreign-investment-reform-to-reshape-indias-defense-industry-1403821290 http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/to-counter-china-govt-pushes-naval-exports-to-small-indian-ocean-nations/ http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/02/28/india-budget-defence-idINKBN0LW0BB20150228 *** For story suggestions please contact tips@nma.com.tw For technical and editorial support, please contact: Asia: +61 2 93 73 1841 Europe: +44 20 7542 7599 Americas and Latam: +1 800 738 8377 ----------------------------------------­--------------------- Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, celebrity gossip, salacious scandals, dumb criminals and much more! Subscribe now for daily news animations that will knock your socks off. For news that's fun and never boring, visit our channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/TomoNewsUS Subscribe to stay updated on all the top stories: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt-WqkTyKK1_70U4bb4k4lQ?sub_confirmation=1 Visit our official website for all the latest, uncensored videos: http://us.tomonews.net Check out our Android app: http://bit.ly/1rddhCj Check out our iOS app: http://bit.ly/1gO3z1f Stay connected with u

• published: 05 Mar 2015
• views: 138