India navy chief concerned about China build-up

India's navy chief said on Monday that Beijing's naval build-up was a "major, major cause for concern" amid tensions in the South China Sea, according to a report. "It is actually a major, major cause of concern for us, which we continuously evaluate and work out our options and our strategies," Admiral D.K. Joshi told journalists in New Delhi, the Press Trust of India reported. "The modernisation is truly impressive," Joshi said of the rival navy, which in September inducted China's first aircraft carrier. New Delhi is wary of growing Chinese influence around the Indian Ocean, where Beijing has funded or plans to invest in major infrastructure projects, including ports in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and military-ruled Myanmar. According to a report issued by the Pentagon in May, Beijing is pouring money into advanced air defences, submarines, anti-satellite weapons and anti-ship missiles that could all be used to deny an adversary access to strategic areas, such as the South China Sea.