India has been apprehensive about China's growing naval expansion in the Indian Ocean. New Delhi views this as "encirclement" and has sometimes objected to Chinese links - especially military ties - with India's smaller neighbours. As China's new naval diplomacy unfolds in the region, India cannot remain a mute spectator and, much like China, has increased its military engagement in the region. Through 'engagement' it has successfully enhanced its regional and international profile and worked overtime to reduce Chinese influence to maintain a balance of power in the region. India now regularly conducts naval and military exercises with great powers, including the US, Japan, and China, as well as its South Asian and South-East Asian neighbours. New Delhi has signed a defence agreement with Singapore and has co-operative arrangements with many nations stretching from Seychelles to Vietnam. It has participated in mechanisms to protect maritime traffic passing through the strategic Malacca Straits.
