US, India and Japan begin biggest joint naval drills for 25 years as Beijing looks on amid dispute over South China Sea
The US, India and Japan took part in the annual naval drills off the coast of India
The exercise, known as Malabar, is said to be a show of strength against China
This year’s drills are the largest since America and India launched them in 1992
All three countries involved are concerned at China’s claims to South China Sea
By JAY AKBAR
DailyMail.com
11 July 2017
A US aircraft carrier group has begun a massive naval exercise with India and Japan which is seen to be a show of strength against the rising might of China.
The US navy said the annual drills named Malabar, held off the Indian coast, would help the three countries tackle maritime threats in the Asia-Pacific region.
They are the largest since India and the United States launched the exercise in 1992.
Military officials say the drills involving America’s USS Nimitz, India’s Vikramaditya and Japan’s biggest warship, the helicopter carrier Izumo, are aimed at helping to maintain a balance of power with China.
All three countries have been concerned about China’s claims to almost all of the waters of the South China Sea and more broadly, its expanding military presence across the region.
Chinese submarines, for example, recently docked in Sri Lanka, an island just off the southern tip of India that is seen as squarely in its back yard.
The maritime drills are taking place as India and China are locked in a standoff on their land border in the Himalayas.
The US Pacific command said in a statement the exercises would help the three countries operate together and it was learning how to integrate with the Indian navy.
India and the United States were for decades on opposite sides of a Cold War divide but have in recent years become major defence partners.
China has in the past criticised the exercises as de-stabilising to the region.
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