India’s response to China’s ‘attitude’ in the South China Sea, will host QUAD drill

New Delhi: Amid China’s continued pressure in the South China Sea and strategic expansion in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), India will host the top-level Malabar naval exercise with other ‘Quad’ countries, the US, Japan and Australia in the Bay of Bengal this year. Defense sources told our sister newspaper Times of India that the naval exercise will have a major focus on advanced anti-submarine warfare. Along with this, the 28th edition of the Malabar exercise will be held in October on India’s eastern seaboard to further enhance military interoperability among the four countries.

Malabar exercise started 32 years ago

The source said that Malabar will include complex surface, anti-air and anti-submarine warfare exercises as well as joint maneuvers and advanced tactical exercises to improve combat skills. There are no plans yet to invite a fifth country for the exercise. Malabar began in 1992 as a bilateral exercise between India and the US. Now it includes Japan and Australia as regular participants. It was held in Sydney in August last year. Japan, in turn, hosted the exercise in Yokosuka in 2022.

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China is on the radar of most countries

This year’s Malabar exercise will take place shortly after India hosts its first major multi-national air combat exercise ‘Taranga Shakti’ in August-September. Apart from the Quad countries, air forces of other countries such as the UK, France, Germany, UAE and Singapore will also participate in the exercise. An aggressive China remains high on the radar screen of most countries. With the world’s largest navy with 355 warships and submarines, Beijing has been asserting its neighbours in the South China Sea, especially the Philippines, with expansionist territorial claims, as well as building several new artificial islands.

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China is expanding its foothold in the Indian Ocean

Similar ‘grey zones’ and salami-slicing tactics of China are evident on the land borders with India as well. There is also great concern over China’s growing presence in the IOR. Beijing is looking for additional logistics turn-around facilities on the east coast of Africa after setting up its first overseas base in Djibouti in August 2017. China is making inroads into several countries such as Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar and Comoros. Of course, Beijing has full access to Pakistan’s Gwadar and Karachi ports. Chinese warships have also been plying in the Indian Ocean region for long periods now as part of anti-piracy escort forces.

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India’s agreement with other countries including Quad

Besides, Chinese survey and research vessels as well as satellite and missile-tracking ships are almost always present in the IOR to map oceanographic and other data useful for navigation and submarine operations. he/she said China is enhancing its underwater domain awareness in the IOR to operate with greater efficiency here. India, of course, is constantly expanding its military ties with the Quad and many other countries bilaterally and multilaterally. India also has military logistics agreements with the US, Australia, France, Japan, South Korea and Singapore. These provide mutual refuelling, repair and berthing facilities for warships and aircraft. A similar agreement with Russia is now under consideration.

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India’s presence in the South China Sea

Ahead of Malabar, India’s 6,000-tonne multi-purpose stealth frigate INS Shivalik is on a long-range deployment in the South China Sea and North Pacific Ocean. A P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft is currently participating in RIMPAC, the world’s largest naval exercise, at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. RIMPAC is taking place 9,000 nautical miles from the Indian coast, another source said. An Indian submarine, INS Vagir, also went to the west coast of Australia for the first time last year in an extended deployment. he/she said the Malabar talks are about strong cooperation, shared values ​​and the collective capability of the four countries to ensure a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, which China is trying to disrupt.