China's state owned tabloid The Global Times has warned India of 'retaliatory actions' if it continues to undermine Beijing's growing ties with Nepal and Sri Lanka. The timing of this warning appears to be more than conspicuous as it comes amid China's defence minister's ongoing visit to Sri Lanka and Nepal.

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The Global Times' latest op-ed openly accuses India of trying to monopolise the Indian Ocean and South Asian regions, where the country has traditionally dominated for several decades. "It is India that has been treating South Asia and the Indian Ocean as its backyard with a hard-line manner. Its uneasiness toward Beijing's growing influence in the region is obvious," the op-ed said.

The editorial cited the example of Bhutan to show how India is trying to undo China's efforts to warm relationship with South Asian countries. It solely blamed New Delhi's influence over Bhutan that has stopped the Buddhist country from having a cordial relationship with Beijing.

Further, it alleged that "India's vigilance against China has also affected Sri Lanka and Nepal's relations with Beijing," adding that New Delhi even tries to brand neutral policies of both its neighbours as 'pro-Chinese policies.'  

The English tabloid, known for its nationalistic tenor, then dashed out a blunt warning to India. ""If such tendencies in India continue, China will have to fight back, because its core interests will have been violated."

However, it did not dwell on what retaliatory actions Chinese government would take against India, clearly shying away from beating the war doll drums.

Speaking specifically about Sri Lanka and Nepal, the editorial claimed that China's decision to promote defence ties with these countries is an evitable result of their increasing economic collaboration. It claimed that this is necessary not only to protect China's, but also region's over all security.

China's Defence Minister Kick Starts Sri Lanka and Nepal Visit   

China's Defence Minister Chang Wanquan took off for a five day visit to Sri Lanka and Nepal on Sunday. The main purpose of this visit is to clearly forge deep defence ties with these two South Asian countries, which would help Beijing in getting a deeper footprint in the region.   

Chang wrapped up his visit to Sri Lanka on Tuesday, after holding an hour long meeting with Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena. Both leaders believed to have discussed host of important issues, but is not known what military and defence issues they discussed during the meeting.

During the Nepal visit, discussion over joint military exercise is expected to be high on defence minister's list. The joint military exercise that is scheduled to start in matter of few months is first such military exercise between the two countries.     

Traditionally, Beijing has never shared deep military ties with South Asian countries expect for Pakistan, which is its closest ally in the region.    

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