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India Hosts Key Naval Exercise with Eye on China

The exercises went ahead as India is embroiled in a deadly border showdown with China.

Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) is towed to heavy lift transport vessel MV Treasure, October 5, 2017. Image: US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joshua Fulton

India, Australia, Japan, and the United States started a strategic navy drill Tuesday in the Bay of Bengal, with all four countries keeping a wary eye on China’s growing military power.

The exercises — with anti-submarine and anti-aircraft drills — went ahead as India is embroiled in a deadly border showdown with China and has sought closer military ties with other countries.

The four nations make up the so-called Quad group (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue), established in 2007 to counter growing Chinese influence.

Australia — which also has problematic relations with China — is taking part in the Malabar exercises for the first time in more than a decade, a sign of the growing importance of the group.

“Exercise Malabar is an important opportunity to work in concert with like-minded nations to support a secure, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region,” Australia’s Defence Minister, Linda Reynolds, said in a statement.

The drill “will showcase the high-levels of synergy and coordination between the friendly navies, which is based on their shared values,” the Indian Navy said.

The United States sent the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain, which re-entered service this year, three years after a collision in which 10 sailors were killed.

The exercises will be held in two stages, with more war games to be held in the Arabian Sea later this month.

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