New Delhi, Feb. 9 -- India is ramping up the pace of defence cooperation with South-east Asia - a region it increasingly views through a defence and security lens - from offering weapons to Indonesia to exploring joint defence production with Thailand and Malaysia.

This is in line with India's growing ambitions, which have gathered pace of late, to increase influence beyond its immediate neighbourhood of South Asia and grow its global footprint.

Analysts noted that India sees an opening in enhancing its presence through defence and security ties in a region where China already has large pockets of economic and strategic influence.

Fearful of disruptions to defence supplies from Russia, many South-east Asian countries have also been loo...