“India chairs the Regional Integrated Multi-hazard Early Warning System for Asia and Africa (RIMES). We are also a major contributor in terms of resources. So we are exploring the possibility of having a tsunami early warning system in the South China Sea,” M Rajeevan, Secretary, Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences, said.
This Indian initiative could possibly annoy China which has been very touchy on issues related to the South China Sea. Beijing has breathed fire and brimstone at countries that had sought to also enjoy the benefits of the South China Sea, like the Philippines.
India and China are not on the same page on several topics. One of them is the border and the second is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, acknowledging which will amount to India accepting the de facto situation in Kashmir.
The tsunami early warning system can signal to China that New Delhi is not against irritating Beijing on touchy topics like the South China Sea. Further, India is also set to increase its naval presence in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as a gateway to the Malacca Strait, which in turn leads to the southern end of the South China Sea.
"Unless China officially reacts and objects to it, we should not speculate… It is an initiative which will benefit all countries in the region and help in monitoring oceanic disturbances and managing disaster preparedness. India is working on other projects with the ASEAN countries as well," Dr. Jagannath Panda of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses told Sputnik.
