New Delhi, July 2 -- India is taking several steps to strengthen maritime alliance in the Indian Ocean region in the wake of the escalating tensions between India and China at Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

The alliance will not only ensure maintaining balance in the Indo-Pacific region but will also provide strength to the QUAD grouping made up of India, Japan, U.S. and Australia. The alliance could include nations impacted by Chinese aggression in the South China sea but the details of the plan are still in the works.

A source said, "The martyrdom of 20 Indian soldiers - a first on the LAC after 1975 - has the potential to permanently alter the prism through which India steers its China strategy and also transform Ind...