Germany makes huge anti-China move; will send warship to Indian ocean to deepen Xi's woes

Germany’s Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has anunced that one of country’s warships will patrol Indian Ocean as part of plans to man China’s influence in region. development comes at a time when India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla held talks in Berlin on Monday to boost cooperation in areas ranging from post-pandemic recovery to Indo-Pacific, and with China being increasingly encircled.

'Key is to translate this into real muscle'

Ahe of Shringla’s arrival in Berlin as part of a three-nation tour, German Defence Minister told Sydney Morning Herald that a German frigate is set to patrol Indian Ocean next year and country’s naval presence in Indo-Pacific will help safeguard rules-based order. “We hope to be able to deploy next year,” she said.

“We will be spending more on defence in 2021 than in 2020 despite fact that [ Covid-19 pandemic] has hit our budgets. w key is to translate this into real muscle. I am convinced territorial disputes, violations of international law and China’s ambitions for global supremacy can only be approached multilaterally,” she said.

Indian Navy has also significantly increased its deployment in Indian Ocean Region in an attempt to send across a mess to China in wake of escalation in tension between two countries over border standoff in eastern Lakh.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Monday met German Foreign Minister of State Niels Annen and held a productive exchange on shared priorities, including strengning of multilateral structures. Shringla arrived in Berlin from France on second leg of his three-nation European tour that also includes UK.

Foreign Secretary meets German leers

He also met with Jan Hecker, Foreign and Security Policy visor to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and discussed with him on multi-dimensional and rapidly growing cooperation between two democracies, it said. Shringla also interacted with top German diplomats and think-tanks.

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In talks with interlocutors in Germany, Shringla will focus on India-Germany alignment in reform of multilateral institutions for 21st-century realities; Germany's Indo-Pacific strategy and its compatibility with India's approach, Indian mission said. Shringla is on a seven-day trip to Europe to review bilateral relations and discuss matters of mutual interest with key European nations. His visit to se countries is part of India's continuing diplomatic engment despite limitations posed by coronavirus pandemic.

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(With PTI inputs)