India’s navy chief Admiral D.K. Joshi said yesterday that China’s push to upgrade its navy was “truly impressive” and said that India had to adapt its own strategy accordingly.

“It is a major cause of concern for us, which we continuously evaluate and work out our options and our strategies for,” Joshi said.

China, which put its first aircraft carrier into service in September, has been locked in a series of disputes, including with Vietnam and the Philippines, over territory in the South China Sea.

India, which also currently has one carrier in service, signed a pact with Vietnam in October last year to expand oil exploration in the South China Sea.

India is scheduled to receive a second aircraft carrier from Russia by 2013 and it plans to build a third itself.

Although Beijing has urged New Delhi not to push ahead with the project for the sake of “peace and stability”, Joshi said that the Indian navy was ready to support state energy firm ONGC and had carried out exercises in preparation.

“In certain sectors ONGC Videsh has certain interests. It has three energy exploration blocks, and since it is an area of Indian interest the Indian Navy would stand by,” Joshi said referring to the firm’s international subsidiary.

“Not that we expect to be in those waters very, very frequently, but when the requirement is there for situations where the country’s interests are involved, we will be required to go there and we are prepared for that.”

The admiral also argued that disputes over freedom of navig-ation within the South China Sea must be resolved in line with international treaties.

“They have to be resolved by the parties concerned, aligned with the international regime outlined in UNCLOS (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea),” he said.