Heartening Malabar Exercise
The joint Naval Exercise this year, given the name after Malabar with an objective of closer military ties between the India, US and Japan and India is heartening event. With China's hostile attitude towards India on many issue and with present military stand-off at tri-junction in Sikkim sector, it is indeed imperative that those who are strong votaries of freedom of navigation and trade come together to forge a common front.
It no secret now that China have been strategically executive its design to exercise hegemony over the high seas in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. Beijing has also been working in tandem with Pakistan which is India's arch-enemy, The Malabar exercises as they are called, which started out as India-US drills in 1992 have included Japan every year from 2014. Australia was refused permission to join this year because of fears of antagonising China. The exercises are held in the Indian Ocean as well as close to the South China Sea, which Beijing claims as its own. This time around, however, they are being perceived with greater trepidation by China. The Chinese government has shown virtual paranoia over the strategic partnership that India, the US and Japan have forged in recent years.
The 21st edition of the exercise, conducted ashore and at-sea, would include professional exchanges on carrier strike group operations, maritime patrol and reconnaissance operations, surface and anti-submarine warfare. The at-sea exercise includes events such as submarine familiarisation, air defence exercises, medical evacuation drills, surface ware fare exercises, communication exercise and search and rescue operations.
The Malabar exercise is taking place amid the military standoff between armies of India and China in the Sikkim section and Beijing ramping up its Naval presence in South China sea. Reacting to the exercises China said that it hopes the naval exercises aren't aimed at “a third nation”. While the Chinese are seeing red, they must ponder over how their country has been preparing to exercise undue influence over the region and especially over the high seas. Wisdom must now dawn on China. There is little merit in encircling India with hostile neighbours or of confronting Japan and the US. It must give up its nefarious designs and cooperate with these countries for common benefit.
