Chinese-adjacent / regional security
By lens · 1 takes across the edition
SCMP (South China Morning Post) · Hong Kong · India builds an Indian Ocean fortress as China's grey-zone ships map the seabed
Reports the PLAN's declared goal of a permanent carrier-group presence in the IOR by 2027, and Chinese defence analysts' reading of INS Varsha as a direct response to the Djibouti base. Notes that Chinese survey-ship activity in the IOR increased sharply in the second half of 2025, with India's Coast Guard shadowing three vessels in December 2025 alone.
“China's PLA Navy aims for a permanent carrier group in the Indian Ocean by 2027; INS Varsha's commissioning is India's counter-positioning.”