US, India discuss China’s military power

India and the US have engaged in talks over China’s upgraded 2.25-million-strong armed forces and its strategic maneuvers in the Asia-Pacific region.

Wary of China’s long-term intentions, India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama shared their own assessments of what has been described as China’s trans-border military capabilities and its growing presence in the Indian Ocean Region.

China has also forged extensive maritime links with regional countries such as Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar, The Times of India reported Monday.

China’s ambitious aircraft-carrier-building program was of particular interest in the talks, since it is one area in which the country actually lags even behind India, the daily reported, quoting sources.

Currently, China’s fleet comprises of about 62 submarines, with 10 nuclear-powered ones and three armed with long-range ballistic missiles, and 75 major warships.

The two leaders held a one-on-one meeting on the sidelines of this week’s 47-nation Nuclear Security Summit in Washington DC.

There has been no official Chinese reaction to such discussions by two of Beijing’s arch rivals in terms of military and economic assertiveness.