Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning and its associated fleet have been practising in the same area recently

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 25

Even as China takes forward its military expansion into the island territories of western Pacific Ocean, India, US and Japan will conduct their annual Malabar exercise at sea off the coast of Guam, a US-controlled military base in the western Pacific Ocean.Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning and its associated fleet have been practising in the same area recently even as Vanuatu, another island close to Australia, is being eyed by Beijing for a possible Naval base. Beijing’s moves could lead to a rejig of plans of the newly formed quadrilateral—US, India, Japan and Australia. The nine-day Malabar exercise will commence on June 7. India will set sail its three warships — INS Shayadri, INS Kamorta and a fleet tanker—in the third week of May. These will be joined in by long range maritime recognisance aircraft, the Boeing P8-I. The US is expected to have one of its carriers in the exercise.The Malabar is conducted annually, the last time India hosted it in the Bay of Bengal. This included high-end war-fighting skill set, subject matter experts, combined carrier strike group operations, maritime patrol and reconnaissance operations, surface and anti-submarine warfare, medical operations, damage control, special forces, explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), helicopter operations, and visit board search and seizure (VBSS) operations. In 2016, the exercise was hosted by Japan with the “sea phase” taking place in the Philippine Sea. China has recently increased its air and naval excursions in the western Pacific in what is being seen as a quest to expand its military presence. Beijing has a policy of ‘open seas protection’, which includes warships, nuclear-powered attack submarines and aircraft carriers.