The nation's investments in ports and infrastructure in neighbouring countries do not signal ambitions of taking greater control over the Indian Ocean's shipping lanes, Beijing's ambassador to New Delhi said in Hong Kong yesterday.
Ambassador Zhang Yan told an Asia Society lunch that China had no plans to establish a chain to encircle India. Its recent decision to build ports in several South Asian countries has caused concern in the United States and India because they do not wish to see China expand its naval presence in the Indian Ocean.
'We don't have such an intention to establish a chain to encircle India,' Mr Zhang said.
'It's not in China's interest to undertake this kind of strategic move ... We see India as our partner.'
He said it was not China's policy to use the military to protect commercial vessels and that there were no plans to do so.
'At this stage, we don't feel there is a need to send a navy ship to accompany our commercial ships in the area,' he said.
