New Delhi, Aug. 3: The Indian Ocean is poised for “disruptive” changes and India needs to prepare for it, External Affairs Minister of India S Jaishankar said on Friday against the backdrop of concerns over China’s increasing maritime forays into the region.

Speaking during an interactive session at a think-tank, Jaishankar, without naming any country, said the competition that has been witnessed around India’s neighbourhood will definitely happen in the Indian Ocean too.

The minister, replying to a question, talked about competition in the neighbourhood, and said there’s “no point groaning about it” as India needs to compete and that’s really what it is trying to do.

“I think the Indian Ocean is already seeing the beginnings of maritime presence which was not there before. So it is poised for a disruptive change. I think we need to anticipate it (and) we need to prepare for it,” he said.

China has gradually been increasing its presence in the Indian Ocean that is largely considered as the backyard of the Indian Navy.-Agencies