China's Shadow Fleet Is Coming To The Indian Ocean, And India Has No Counter

India’s response remains sluggish

Dear Reader,

In 2013, when Xi Jinping told Chinese fisherfolk to catch "bigger fish", he wasn’t just talking about seafood.

China’s 'fishing fleet' isn’t just that. It's a covert arm of Beijing’s military ambitions, operating in the Indian Ocean right under India’s nose.

China’s vast distant-water fleet—backed by the state and often doubling as a maritime militia—is swarming the Indian Ocean, gathering intelligence, and asserting dominance.

While Beijing quietly expands its footprint, New Delhi’s response, stuck in policy discussions, remains sluggish and uncoordinated.

My piece on the threat which is no longer so "distant": China's Shadow Fleet Is Coming To The Indian Ocean, And India Has No Counter

- Prakhar Gupta